Sanford Health recognized by Mental Health America
May 1, 2024
Contact:
Jon Berg
Sanford Health Media Relations
605-366-2432 / Jon.Berg@sanfordhealth.org
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. —Mental Health America (MHA) has awarded Sanford Health the 2024 Gold Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health. This is the second year in a row Sanford Health has received this recognition. The Bell Seal is a workplace mental health certification that recognizes employers who strive to create mentally healthy workplaces for their employees.
Sanford Health underwent a rigorous evaluation of its policies and practices in four areas: workplace culture, benefits, compliance and wellness programs. The status as a Bell Seal-certified organization demonstrates Sanford Health’s ongoing commitment to employee mental health and well-being. Sanford Health was the first and only Bell Seal recipient headquartered in South Dakota for 2024.
“Mental health is just as important as physical health,” said Ashley Wenger-Slaba, senior vice president of employee experience, education, & workforce relations at Sanford Health. “Our team of caregivers incorporate mental health evaluations into all of our patients’ wellness and annual exams, but it’s also important for us to make sure our employees aren’t struggling with their own mental health. The well-being of our staff affects the entire health system, leads to better patient care, better quality outcomes, higher patient satisfaction and better retention and employee engagement.”
MHA – founded in 1909 – is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the overall mental health of all. MHA has spent decades researching mental health in the workplace, and in 2019, MHA introduced the Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health to recognize companies and organizations that understand the value of addressing mental health at work and implement policies and practices that support employee well-being.
Sanford Health has led efforts to combat work-related stress and burnout through training, employee and clinician assistance programs, counseling, a physician wellness council and comprehensive mental health resources to help employees take care of themselves physically and emotionally while caring for patients and residents.
Sanford Health has been recognized by Becker’s for the past two years as one of the 150 top places to work in health care. In 2023, Sanford Health was named to Forbes America’s Best Employers for Veterans list and the America’s Best Employers By State list. Most recently, Sanford Health was recognized on Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies 2024 list.
For more information about Sanford Health, visit SanfordHealth.org.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization serves 1.4 million patients and nearly 200,000 health plan members across 250,000 square miles. The integrated health system has 45 hospitals, 211 clinic locations, more than 160 Good Samaritan Society senior living centers, 2,900 Sanford physicians and advanced practice providers, 540 active clinical trials, and nine world clinic locations around the globe. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
