Cultivating a Culture of Wellness
Celebrating 5 Years of Innovative Solutions to Prevent Burnout and Promote Well-Being Among Rush Employees and Students
Celebrating 5 Years of Progress
Quality patient care depends on the well-being and vitality of health care professionals and their trainees. Since its launch in 2020, Rush Wellness has created spaces where self-care and community are the norm, and individuals are encouraged to reflect on what matters most to them. Thousands of employees and students across Rush University System for Health have accessed mental health services, participated in programs designed to foster personal and professional growth, and initiated projects that nurture joy, meaning and connection.
You make this possible. With the support of our philanthropic partners, Rush Wellness has built a robust, industry-leading program. We’ve infused wellness into our DNA by tailoring interventions to address our community’s needs, rigorously assessing our results and incorporating best practices into system strategy. We regularly share findings from our wellness research across the field, because healthy care teams are better prepared to solve health care’s most pressing challenges.
The strong foundation we’ve built at Rush Wellness gives us hope as we celebrate the past five years of progress and look toward the future. The field of health care faces many challenges. Your investment in the Rush community helps sustain our vitality as we achieve our mission of improving health for all.
Sincerely,
Eve Poczatek, MBA
Associate Vice President for Wellness, Experience, Learning and Development
Rush University System for Health
Fostering Joy in Medicine
Rush University System for Health stands among only 25 organizations nationwide that have been recognized by the American Medical Association for preserving the health and well-being of care teams by preventing or reducing work-related stress and burnout. Rush earned Silver-level distinction from the Joy in Medicine program for providing services through the Rush Center for Clinical Wellness, improving providers’ workflows and expanding leadership opportunities for care teams. As a result of these efforts, Rush Medical Group recently established the Office of Clinician Experience to advance ongoing initiatives.
Philanthropy Fuels Institutional Investment
Three coaching programs, launched with your support, were so well-received that Rush is doubling down on “the coach approach.” After seeing the value of these early initiatives for nurses and physicians, Rush leadership allocated institutional funding to launch a coaching program in 2026 that will be tied to the manager onboarding process. This strategic investment in newly hired managers was made because the quality of the manager-employee relationship strongly influences employee engagement.
“Coaching helped me realize that a very difficult decision I just made is the right decision for me. Being able to participate in a coaching session reinforces some of the reasons I love being here at Rush.”
Jeannie Aschkenasy, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics Rush Medical College
Healing Our Healers Improves Health for All
With your philanthropic support, Rush invests in the well-being of our health care providers, faculty, staff and students to ensure we all have the healthiest lives possible. Rush Wellness aims to foster skills our community members can use to not only manage stress and prevent burnout, but also find joy and meaning necessary for a long career in a demanding field.
Some of the achievements you’ve helped make possible include:
Making Mental Health a Priority
To reduce the risk of burnout — a condition characterized by exhaustion, cynicism and feelings of reduced professional ability — and support personal and professional growth, the Rush Center for Clinical Wellness provides free, unlimited mental health services to employees and students. Visits to the center increased by 79% from 2021 to 2024, particularly after the average wait time was reduced by adding more therapists. In total, the center has welcomed more than 3,600 members of the Rush community seeking individual psychotherapy, case management and referrals to psychiatry services.
Equipping Our Community With Skills for Success
More than 730 talks about wellness-related topics have been delivered to the Rush community since 2020, averaging about 12 per month in 2024.
“These workshops are consistently exactly what Rush employees and students need in our busy days. I learned things in this session that I can bring into both my work and home life.” — Participant, Wellness Workshop
Teaching Mental Health First Aid
Thanks to your support for Mental Health First Aid, more than 400 people now have the skills to help patients, coworkers and others who may be experiencing a mental health crisis.
“I appreciate that the course acknowledges how difficult it can be to ask certain questions. Practicing in this safe environment will make it easier to know what to say when helping someone experiencing a mental health crisis. The course helped me build my confidence in providing mental health support.” — Rush employee
Getting Active
Nearly four times as many students joined the Rush University Medical Center Fitness Center in 2024, after Rush Wellness took over its operations and offered them free memberships. During the same period, employee memberships increased 23% and check-ins among all members rose 2%. Additionally, an updated gym at Rush Oak Park Hospital was expected to open in fall 2025 thanks to a philanthropic gift.
Offering Peace for Physicians
Your support at work: Gifts made in recognition of physicians for Doctors’ Day 2025 will fund a free coaching program for physicians. Thanks to your support on Doctors’ Day 2024 , physicians can enjoy a relaxing energy pod session in a more convenient location: the Robert F. Finke Medical Staff Hub, which serves as the medical staff lounge at Rush University Medical Center. Philanthropic donations also funded the lounge’s renovation.
Drawing Crowds at Wellness Events
More than 2,500 Rush community members have attended Rush Wellness events, including summer yoga, Mental Health Forums and Rush of Gratitude celebrations at the system’s three hospitals.
Providing 24/7 Support
The number of employees and students using the Wellness Triage Pager has steadily increased since 2022. Rush psychotherapists are available 24/7 to provide direct support or connection to resources for individuals who are struggling or have concerns about a colleague who may be struggling.
Triage Pager Calls
Rush of Gratitude
Employees created 3,200 “gratitude grams” for each other during the 2025 Rush of Gratitude celebration — twice the number created during the inaugural Rush of Gratitude in 2024.
Improving Nurse Well-Being
Since the Nursing Wellness Awards launched in 2022, an oversight committee has carried out the difficult task of selecting 43 projects for funding from among more than 110 compelling applications. This philanthropically funded program has inspired nurses and health care professionals across Rush University System for Health to champion local initiatives addressing the wellness challenges they encounter in daily practice.
From peaceful places to artmaking activities to programs aimed at managing stress and increasing physical activity, these projects have helped thousands of frontline health care workers find joy, meaning and connection. Generous philanthropic partners have given more than $300,000 to sustain the Nursing Wellness Awards, which motivate others to make gifts to enhance existing projects. Additional gifts include $50,000 to expand a coaching program and $75,000 to complete improvements at the gym at Rush Oak Park Hospital.
“This program not only improves nurses’ well-being, it fosters leadership. Nurses learn to manage projects and budgets and measure outcomes. Their final presentations and posters reflect both personal growth and a lasting impact on the Rush community.”
Judy Friedrichs, DNP, RN Wellness Liaison
Rush University Medical Center
Your Support Spreads Hope
For five years, philanthropic support has helped Rush Wellness deliver innovative, evidence-based services and programs that improve the well-being of our health care providers, faculty, staff and students. This critical funding helps us provide better care for our patients and position Rush as a national thought leader in wellness.
Investing in the well-being of our staff and students spreads hope and has ripple effects that enhance every corner of our health system. To make a gift or learn more about supporting wellness at Rush, contact:
Jenna Plakut
Senior Director of Alumni Giving (773) 368-2087 jenna_plakut@rush.edu