Dr. Trudy Shahady was feeling burnt out. It was during the height of the pandemic, and three unvaccinated patients had died of COVID-19 in the span of one week.

She needed help, she decided. So she called a program that existed nowhere else in the country — one that allows doctors to seek therapy without putting their careers in jeopardy. Virginia was the first state to change these laws, ensuring that doctors and other health care workers can seek help without fear. Now, the initiative is going national. The Medical Society of Virginia has expanded it to other states, hoping to fight the shortage of health care workers besetting the industry.