Columbus-based OhioHealth is looking to reshape a healthcare culture that often discourages caregivers from asking for help. It is doing so by creating preventive well-being programs aimed at fostering psychological safety and encouraging help-seeking behaviors.
“If we want to achieve that mission of taking care of our patients, we have to take care of our [caregivers]; the two can’t exist without each other,” Laurie Hommema, MD, senior medical director for well-being, told Becker’s.
She added that younger generations of clinicians expect workplaces that recognize them “as people and human beings,” and that well-being infrastructure is a key part of meeting those expectations.
In 2025, OhioHealth expanded access to covered counseling visits for caregivers from eight to 12 per year, underscoring its investment in workforce well-being. After the expansion, the system saw an 8% increase in counseling requests compared to the previous year as leaders worked to shift a culture often shaped by burnout.
“The presumption is that caregivers shouldn’t ask for help because it might sidetrack their careers or stigmatize them in some way, and that’s a really bad idea. But it’s a prevalent idea in American culture generally, in healthcare specifically,” Robert Andrews, CEO of the Health Transformation Alliance, told Becker’s.
Building psychological safety through structured support
One program at OhioHealth responds to critical incidents, including distressing codes or unexpected outcomes for the team, in hopes of addressing crises before they escalate. Other teams convene in large groups to discuss challenging cases and what it is like navigating those situations, helping reduce stigma and isolation.
Counseling clinicians also round at all hospitals to build relationships and better understand team dynamics, she said. Depending on the size of the hospital, the system may dedicate three clinicians to a 1,000-bed facility and fewer clinicians to a 20-bed hospital.
“It feels a lot safer to reach out for help from someone you know and who you know will understand your experience,” Dr. Hommema said.
The system has also focused on training front-line healthcare workers to care for one another through peer support and suicide prevention programs.
“I can’t hire enough clinicians to talk to every person every day, but if we can really create that web of people who have the skills to ask a hard question and to help someone when they’re in distress, that really creates that safety net and really helps shift the culture,” Dr. Hommema said
Starting well-being efforts before residency begins
Well-being efforts at OhioHealth for more than 400 residents each year begin before they step into the hospital.
A May study published in the National Library of Medicine found that between 2015 and 2021, 370,778 residents and fellows participated in training programs nationwide. Of those, 161 died during training, with 47 — about 29% — dying from suicide. The highest number of resident suicides occurred during the first quarter of the first year.
The findings underscore why the system begins its well-being outreach before residency formally starts, Dr. Hommema said.
The system’s health and wellness coach meets with each resident in the months before training begins to build relationships and review available resources.
“It’s understanding what’s available to you before you’re swimming in it and you can’t even think straight,” Dr. Hommema said. “The first three months of residency are so intense in terms of learning and work hours.”
During those early meetings, residents can address concerns ranging from test-taking anxiety to connecting with a family physician to ensure support is in place before training.
“You get the same outcomes if you keep doing the same thing. We tried to think differently of how we can create an environment and experience for our residents so that we don’t have the same risk and cause of death that we’ve seen in our country,” she said. “To that point, a lot of industries wouldn’t stand for that type of outcome. So there’s a lot of work happening in the graduate medical education space to change that.”
The health and wellness coach reconnects with resident during the three- to six-month window — when suicide risk is highest — with a majority opting to meet again. From there, additional support, such as a counselor, psychiatrist or community health worker, can be added as needed.
