ISMA has been recognized as a Wellbeing First Champion for 2025 by ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare, a coalition of health care organizations working to eliminate barriers to mental health care access for health workers. 

“Physicians must have the tools to take care of themselves in order to take care of their patients. Application questions which discourage physicians from seeking mental health care when they need it are a disservice to physicians and patients alike,” said ISMA Executive Vice President Julie Reed, JD. “ISMA thanks the Medical Licensing Board for embracing this common-sense reform.” 

As a Wellbeing First Champion, ISMA has worked with the Medical Licensing Board to ensure credentialing applications are free from intrusive and stigmatizing language around mental health care and treatment. This means that health workers at hospitals and clinics can seek needed care without fear of losing their license or job.

“We now join 40 other boards across the country,” said Ranae Obregon, Vice President of Education and Physician Resources. “This has been a two-year journey that has finally come to fruition.”

ALL IN verifies annually that all invasive or stigmatizing language around mental health has been removed from applications.

“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 wellbeing of health workers.”