Burnout is at a crisis level among health workers. We need to do more than just celebrate our health workers. Health care institutions, policies, systems, and leaders are taking tangible steps to reduce burnout and support the well-being of those who provide care–because a healthy workforce means healthy patients and communities.

Now is the time to act: Health workers have been increasingly strained by their work environments. It’s estimated that burnout costs the health care system at least $4.6 billion annually, and in 2023, nearly half of health workers (46%) reported often feeling burned out, up from 32% in 2018.

We stand at a crossroads. As the pressures put on our health workers increase, anxiety, depression, burnout, and overall dissatisfaction are all too common, and what is being asked of each health worker creates preventable strain.

In pursuit of improved health workforce well-being and patient care outcomes, the National Adacemy of Medicine Collaborative and founding partners—including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation—have established March 18 as the annual, national Health Workforce Well-Being (HWWB) Day.

HWWB Day aims to recognize the importance of protecting health workers’ well-being to sustain our health system and ensure quality patient care. HWWB Day is also a day for action—learning from one another on the progress to advance the movement to support health worker well-being, and expand evidence-informed solutions to make system-wide changes to improve health worker well-being and transform cultures.

Learn more about HWWB day here and contact IEHSS at iehss.admin@unh.edu to learn more about how we can help your organization improve resilience and wellbeing at multiple levels using a web-based app (RēsWell) to assess wellbeing and access a curated list of recommendations as well as a customized resilience and wellbeing program for your organization.