Heart of Safety Coalition

Six actions to break down barriers and be ALL IN for mental health care – Stefanie Simmons, MD, FACEP, and Corey Feist, JD, MBA

09.26.2025

Episode 102 | Duration: 37:52

Since 2020, the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation (LBF) and members of its ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare Coalition have worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the mental health care needs and rights of healthcare workers.

In this episode of Caring Greatly, Corey Feist, Co-founder and CEO, and Stephanie Simmons, MD, FACEP, Chief Medical Officer of the LBF, talk about the work they’ve done and continue to do to remove barriers to mental health care access for healthcare workers. Together, they share results of a new research report published in collaboration with the Heart of Safety Coalition that shows how clinicians perceive structural, institutional and cultural barriers that can prevent them from accessing care. They also discuss six actions organizations and leaders can take to help care team members get access to mental health care without fear of stigma, discrimination or professional repercussions.

J. Corey Feist, JD, MBA, is a healthcare executive with over 20 years of experience. Before co-founding the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation Corey served as the CEO of the University of Virginia Physicians Group, the medical group practice of UVA Health composed of 1,200+ physicians and advanced practice providers. Corey has authored numerous publications on the need to support the wellbeing of the healthcare workforce. He has served as an expert in multiple forums including as a keynote speaker, panelist, and moderator as well as provided formal testimony in the United States Congress. His advocacy efforts resulted in the first federal law focused on improving health worker wellbeing, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. In 2023, Corey and his wife, Jennifer, were both awarded the Surgeon General’s Medallion for Health, the highest honor the US Surgeon General can present to civilians, for their efforts at the Foundation.

Stefanie Simmons, MD, FACEP, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician. She was the primary advisor to NIOSH for the Impact Wellbeing™ guide for healthcare leaders, leads multi-state programs to improve the operational environment of care and remove barriers to mental health care, and serves as a national thought leader in healthcare worker wellbeing. Stefanie served as the Vice President of Patient and Clinician Experience for Envision for more than seven years, serving 26,000 physicians and advanced practice providers with a focus on professional wellbeing, including translational research and programs designed to bring wellbeing best practices to clinical environments. She served as lead clinical faculty for the Clinician Experience Project Wellbeing program.

Dr. Stefanie Simmons and Corey Feist are leaders who care greatly.