WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representatives Gilbert. R. Cisneros, Jr. (D-CA-39), David McKinley (R-WV-01), Max Rose, (D-NY-11), Denver Riggleman (R-VA-05), Anthony Brindisi (D-NY-22), Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09), and Fred Upton (R-MI-06) introduced the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, bipartisan legislation that aims to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, and mental and behavioral health conditions among healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals have long experienced high levels of stress and burnout, and COVID-19 has only exacerbated the problem. While helping their patients fight for their lives, many healthcare professionals are coping with their own trauma of losing patients and colleagues, and fear for their own health and safety. To view the text of the bill, click here.
“Since day one of this pandemic, our healthcare workers have been fighting around the clock to keep our communities safe,” Rep. Cisneros said. “They deserve more than just our thanks. They deserve the resources and tools to help them cope with the stress, burnout, and trauma they’re facing during this crisis. I’m proud to join my Republican and Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate to introduce a bill that supports the mental health of our healthcare heroes and honor the legacy of Dr. Lorna Breen.”
The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which is companion legislation to a bill previously introduced by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), is supported by the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Osteopathic Association.
The issue captured national attention when Dr. Lorna Breen, a physician at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physician & Surgeons working on the frontlines of the pandemic in New York City, died by suicide in Charlottesville, VA after she’d gone to be with family. This bill helps promote mental and behavioral health among those working on the frontlines of the pandemic. It also supports suicide and burnout prevention training in health professional training programs and increases awareness and education about suicide and mental health concerns among healthcare professionals.
“We’d like to thank Reps. Max Rose, David McKinley, Anthony Brindisi, Denver Riggleman, Gil Cisneros, Morgan Griffith, and Fred Upton for advancing this important legislation at a time when our healthcare workforce is perhaps at its most fragile as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jennifer Breen Feist and Corey Feist, Co-Founders of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. “We know that physician and provider burnout was at an all-time high before the beginning of this pandemic and it is critical that we educate current and future caregivers about the importance of self-care. The danger of physician mental health stress is not a partisan issue- it is an issue that affects all of our loved ones as givers and receivers of healthcare. Dr. Lorna Breen was a dedicated physician who devoted her life to improving the lives of her patients and her colleagues. This legislation is a continuation of that work. We would also like to recognize and thank the physicians and healthcare providers at Columbia/New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York and our frontline workers and medical community throughout the country.”
The pandemic is taking an enormous toll on the mental health of healthcare professionals who, on top of their own anxieties, are supporting many Americans in their time of need. Additionally, the stigma surrounding treatment for mental health conditions and substance use disorders can discourage healthcare professionals from seeking help.
Specifically, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act:
- Establishes grants for training health profession students, residents, or healthcare professionals in evidence-informed strategies to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders. The grants would also help improve healthcare professionals’ well-being and job satisfaction.
- Seeks to identify and disseminate evidence-informed best practices for reducing and preventing suicide and burnout among healthcare professionals, training healthcare professionals in appropriate strategies, and promoting their mental and behavioral health and job satisfaction.
- Establishes a national evidence-based education and awareness campaign targeting healthcare professionals to encourage them to seek support and treatment for mental and behavioral health concerns.
- Establishes grants for employee education, peer-support programming, and mental and behavioral health treatment; healthcare providers in current or former COVID-19 hotspots will be prioritized.
- Establishes a comprehensive study on healthcare professional mental and behavioral health and burnout, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on such professionals’ health.
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