Collaborative releases draft national plan for health workforce well-being 

The National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience today released for public input through May 27 a draft National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being, which builds on almost six years of work among 200 participants, including the AHA.

The plan identifies goals and actions to help health care leaders, educators, governing boards and federal agencies achieve health workforce well-being across seven priority areas: positive work and learning environments and culture; measurement, assessment, strategies and research of well-being; mental health and stigma; compliance, regulatory and policy barriers for health workers’ daily work; effective technology tools; effects of COVID-19 on the health workforce; and recruitment of the next generation.

AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack and AHA Chief Nursing Officer Robyn Begley, CEO of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, said, “When others ran from the pandemic, health care workers ran toward it to try to prevent the spread, care for the sick and save lives. The health care workforce has worked tirelessly to provide lifesaving care for patients but it has come with a heavy toll on their own well-being. The AHA is proud to be a member of the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience to develop solutions to help our workforce ensure they have the support, resources and wellness programs to keep them mentally and physically healthy.”

During a NAM webinar today on the plan, Pollack shared two key takeaways from the hospital and health system perspective: the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated health disparities, lack of access to behavioral health care, and health care worker shortages and resiliency to the level of a national emergency; and solutions require collaborative efforts across the entire health system and its stakeholders.