Mary Washington Healthcare Recognized as Wellbeing First Champion, Supporting Health Worker Well-Being

Fredericksburg, VA (June 3, 2025) – Mary Washington Healthcare has been recognized as a 2024 Wellbeing First Champion by ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare. As a Wellbeing First Champion, MWHC has verified that credentialing applications are free from intrusive and stigmatizing language around mental health care and treatment. This means that health workers at MWHC can seek needed care without fear of losing their license or job.

"The health and well-being of our associates is more important to us than ever, and we are committed to offering a wide range of programs for both new and current staff to help them prioritize their health," says Joanne Huber-Sturans, Chief Human Resources Officer at Mary Washington Healthcare. "We take a holistic approach to supporting our team members and prospective applicants by offering a streamlined, non-intrusive process for verifying credentials and licensure, while fostering a work environment that places their health and well-being at the forefront."

Verification that all invasive or stigmatizing language around mental health has been removed from applications is confirmed annually by ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare, a coalition of leading health care organizations that work to eliminate barriers for health workers to obtain needed mental health care.

“Across the country, health workers are at an increased risk for burnout and mental health conditions,” said Corey Feist, co-founder of ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. “Many health workers feel they cannot speak up about their mental health without being criticized by colleagues or losing their jobs. Today, physicians and nurses die by suicide at two times the rate of the general population. We as a nation must better protect these lives, and I applaud our Wellbeing First Champions for their leadership to support the well-being of health workers.”

MWHC Medical Support Services Credentialing Team

From left to right: Diane Manchester, Coordinator; Joanne Huber-Sturans, Chief Human Resources Officer; Sandra McGuigan, Coordinator; Beverley Patton-Colona, Senior Coordinator; Robin Wyndel Hawkins, Manager; Christine Hare, Coordinator; and Anna Carrillo, Analyst

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About Mary Washington Healthcare

Mary Washington Healthcare is a fully integrated, regional healthcare system that provides inpatient and outpatient care at over 80 facilities including Mary Washington Hospital, a 471-bed tertiary hospital, Stafford Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital, four emergency departments, and a multi-specialty graduate medical education program. Mary Washington Healthcare is a non-profit health system with a longstanding commitment to providing care regardless of ability to pay. For more information about our services and facilities, visit mwhc.com.

About ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare

ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare, led by The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Thrive Global, and CAA Foundation, is a coalition of leading healthcare organizations, including American Association of Colleges of Nurses, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, The Physicians Foundation, CHARM: The Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine, Johnson & Johnson: Center for Health Worker Innovation, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, American Nurse Foundation, Medicine Forward, National Black Nurses Association, Philippine Nurses Association of America and Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare. We are committed to advancing a state where the healthcare workforce’s well-being is prioritized, and individual health workers feel valued and supported so they can sustain their sense of purpose and meaning in their work. We work to make beneficial progress against persistent mental health and well-being challenges that disadvantage our health workers, and therefore, our healthcare systems and the future of public health.