As we look ahead to Mental Illness Awareness Week – October 5–11, it’s imperative that we shed light on a topic often shrouded in silence and stigma. The week serves as a poignant reminder that mental health is as vital as physical health, and it’s time we prioritize open conversations, empathy, and support for those facing the challenges of mental illness. This week’s Friday Five highlights one of our HCNR episodes discussing physician burnout, a one night only play supporting NAMI and the nonprofit organization Sharp Index.
Get Your Community Connected With NAMI
Recognizing the need to raise awareness and address mental health challenges, Congress officially established the first full week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) in 1990, thanks to NAMI’s advocacy. Since then, communities across the country have come together annually to raise awareness, fight stigma, and support mental health. NAMI celebrates community with this year’s theme, “Building Community: Supporting Mental Well-being Together,” underscoring the power of meaningful connections, grassroots advocacy, and local action to strengthen mental health support nationwide. Use NAMI’s toolkit and support MIAW.
This is Crazy! A Play Benefiting NAMI
Tony and Obie award-winning playwright V, formerly Eve Ensler, has created THIS IS CRAZY!, a bold, funny, and moving new play to benefit The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Featuring an extraordinary cast including Jane Fonda, Edie Falco, Mark Ruffalo, Rosanna Arquette, Rachel Hilson, Olivia Oguma, Colette McDermott, Luke Ferrari, Doireann Mac Mahon, Clarence Maclin, Derrick Delgado and Mohammed Saleem, the production brings together the acclaimed artists for a series of monologues, each offering a raw, personal perspective on mental illness and the emotional and social complexity of the human experience. To kick off National Mental Illness Awareness Week, the one-night-only performance will take place in New York City’s Symphony Space on October 6, 2025, with a second show planned for Los Angeles in 2026. One hundred percent of the proceeds from these performances will benefit NAMI.
We’re looking forward to the premiere of This Is Crazy! — a bold, funny & moving new play by Tony & Obie Award–winning playwright V. 🎭
📍 Oct 6 • Symphony Space, NYC
✨ Featuring Jane Fonda, Mark Ruffalo, Edie Falco, Sanaa Lathan, Rosanna Arquette & more100% of proceeds… pic.twitter.com/RHKEDCAfO0
— NAMI (@NAMICommunicate) October 1, 2025
Sharp Index
Sharp Index is a nonprofit dedicated to reducing physician burnout and suicide and improving physician, nurse, and clinician mental health. The Sharp Index is also a free tool to measure mental health and burnout, as well as share your top priorities. We cannot improve healthcare without measuring mental health as well as healthcare workforce burnout. Sharp Index participates in programs and partnerships that advance understanding of and improvement of clinician lives.
Ending Clinician Burnout Global Summit
What: Ending Clinician Burnout Global Summit – Stronger Together
When: November 6 – 7, 2025
Register for this Virtual Event
Join the Fourth Annual Ending Clinician Burnout Virtual Summit, where leading experts and frontline healthcare professionals unite to tackle burnout with actionable solutions. This immersive event features powerful keynotes, innovative strategies, and real-world insights to support clinician well-being and transform healthcare culture. Don’t miss your chance to connect, learn, and be part of the movement to create a healthier, more sustainable future for healthcare workers everywhere! Healthcare leaders are looking outside of their traditional discipline to share solutions that matter and the power of partnership.
Value-Based Care Insights: Breaking the Burnout Cycle: The Power of Fortitude in Healthcare
On this episode host Dan Marino tackles one of healthcare’s most persistent challenges: physician burnout. Joining him are two experts who bring both clinical and research perspectives to the conversation. First, Dr. Stephen Hippler, a retired Chief Clinical Officer at OSF HealthCare, oversaw more than 1,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and has led initiatives to support provider well-being and foster a thriving work culture. Second, Dr. Laurence Weinzimmer, an endowed research professor at Bradley University, is a nationally recognized healthcare researcher and advisor to Fortune 100 companies.
ICYMI – Our other Friday Fives.
