Healthcare Workforce Coalition Applauds Senate Introduction of Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act

Bipartisan bill is vital for strengthening employee safety initiatives, improving healthcare professionals’ wellbeing, and reducing burnout

WASHINGTON – The Healthcare Workforce Coalition – representing healthcare stakeholders across the continuum including providers, employers, associations, and staffing organizations – today applauds U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Roger Marshall (R-KS) for introducing the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (S. 266) in the U.S. Senate. The HWC proudly supports this bipartisan legislation aimed at growing a robust, resilient, and safe healthcare workforce.

This bipartisan bill is vital for strengthening employee safety initiatives, improving healthcare professionals’ wellbeing, and reducing burnout by expanding hospital grants to support preventive and strategic trainings for suicide reduction, mental healthcare, and substance use by healthcare providers. 

The Healthcare Workforce Coalition applauds Senators Kaine, Young, Reed, and Marshall for reintroducing the reauthorization of this landmark legislation in the 119th Congress.

“This bipartisan bill will offer continued support for our nation’s healthcare workers who dedicate their lives to improving the health and wellbeing of their patients. By supporting programs for mental health training, peer support programs, and crisis intervention services, this measure is critical to addressing America’s growing healthcare workforce shortage,” said Dr. Eric Howell, CEO of the Society of Hospital Medicine, a member organization of the Healthcare Workforce Coalition. “It’s imperative for hospitalists, and all healthcare workers, that this critical legislation be passed, and we encourage swift reintroduction in the U.S. House.”

The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act was first passed by Congress in 2022 to help address a significant rise in mental health concerns and suicide rates among hospital and healthcare employees. Named for an emergency room physician who tragically died by suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic, the legislation has funded strategic mental health and burnout reducing interventions throughout the United States. 

The reauthorization of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act will:

  • Extend the appropriation of $45 million each year between 2025 and 2029 for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to provide mental health and wellness grants and support for healthcare professionals.
  • Support the continuation of the ‘Impact Wellbeing’ campaign to educate hospital and health system leaders on burnout among healthcare workers, providing evidence-informed solutions and peer-support programming.
  • Prioritize communities with a shortage of healthcare workers, rural communities, and high-burnout rate workforces due to administrative burdens like lengthy paperwork.

The Healthcare Workforce Coalition supports this critical legislation to improve employee safety, mental healthcare, and burnout resources for healthcare providers. In tackling the high rates of healthcare workforce burnout and emotional distress attributed to extreme shortages and higher patient volumes, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act will help foster a supportive, safe workforce culture with resources for our nation’s healthcare workforce.

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