HCA Prioritizing, Destigmatizing Colleague Mental Health Needs

During unprecedented mental health challenges for nurses and caregivers around the world, HCA Healthcare is prioritizing and destigmatizing colleague mental health needs through new initiatives, including Nurse Care, a unique, free, and confidential mental health program for the needs of HCA Healthcare hospital-based nurses. The resource is available 24/7 to help nurses manage anxiety, balance their work and life responsibilities, practice self-care, and handle common nursing related issues.

HCA Healthcare is committed to promoting mental wellness for its patients, colleagues, and communities. With approximately 2,300 sites of care, including 182 hospitals, in communities across 20 states, including Memorial Health Meadows Hospital in Vidalia, HCA Healthcare uses the knowledge and data from more than 300,000 annual behavioral health patient encounters to make positive advances in the ways it provides care to its patients. In communities across the country, MHCA Healthcare is responding to the growing need for mental health awareness through partnerships, including: EVERFI: In 2020, HCA Healthcare announced a collaboration with EVERFI, an international technology company driving social change through education, to implement an interactive, mental health and wellness digital education course for middle and high school students. With HCA Healthcare’s support, the Mental Wellness Basics course has reached more than 120,000 students and 1,300 teachers at 548 schools across all 15 of HCA Healthcare’s U.S. divisions.

The Jason Foundation: In 2013, HCA Healthcare formally partnered with The Jason Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of youth suicide through educational and awareness programs that equip young people, educators/ youth workers, and parents with the tools and resources to help identify and assist at-risk youth. HCA Healthcare has 13 Jason Foundation affiliate offices across the nation. These offices serve as hubs where parents, teachers, guidance counselors, students, churches, and other community organizations can obtain educational materials and learn about training programs available through The Jason Foundation.

Psych Hub podcast series: This year, HCA Healthcare and Psych Hub, the world's largest mental health education platform, in collaboration with Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry, partnered to create a 10-episode podcast series called “You Ask, We Answer” to bring people credible online mental health education. “As mental health symptoms typically present for the first time during adolescence and early adulthood, it is important to properly educate youth that they are not alone,” said Amy Rushton, vice president of behavioral health services at HCA Healthcare. “These workshops can help normalize talking about mental health, starting at a young age, and give participants tools and language to be advocates for their own mental wellness as well as for their peers.”