The Sharp Index Awards Healthy Health Systems Category applauds healthcare organizations and systems that exemplify a commitment to fostering a healthy work environment for their staff, thereby directly contributing to the improvement of patient care and provider well-being.

This category is designed to recognize health systems that implement innovative practices, policies, and programs aimed at reducing burnout, promoting mental health, and enhancing the overall work-life balance of their healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and allied health workers. 

Eligible entities for this award include hospitals, healthcare systems, clinics, and other healthcare delivery organizations that have demonstrated a holistic approach to improving the work environment. These efforts may encompass a broad range of initiatives, from mental health support services and wellness programs to organizational changes that facilitate a more supportive, efficient, and compassionate workplace. Past winners include New York Health and Hospitals, who implemented broad programmatic and language change to ensure mental health safety for employees, as well as system programs and pandemic support. Penn Medicine Princeton Health is also a leader, working alongside physicians and clinicians to get feedback and design specific support. Wendy Dean, MD is the only person to have won this award, for her book “If I Betray These Words”, and her advocacy as a pioneer of changing the perception of how physicians and healthcare workers are treated.

Winning organizations will be selected based on their commitment to creating a sustainable culture of well-being, the innovativeness of their approaches, the effectiveness of their wellness initiatives, and their ability to demonstrate tangible improvements in employee satisfaction, reduced burnout rates, and enhanced patient care outcomes. This award aims to celebrate health systems that not only prioritize the health and happiness of their staff but also recognize the intrinsic link between provider well-being and the quality of patient care. Not all healthcare systems care about the health of their employees, and this exploitative practice negatively impacts physicians, nurses, patients and communities.

Through this recognition, the Sharp Index seeks to encourage all healthcare organizations to strive towards becoming healthier workplaces. Highlighting these success stories aims to inspire others in the healthcare industry to adopt similar practices, promoting a future where all health systems are supportive environments that contribute to the well-being of both providers and patients.