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House Of Representatives Passes The Bipartisan Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, Co-Led By Congressman Krishnamoorthi

December 8, 2021

The health care worker mental wellness bill was named in honor of Dr. Lorna Breen, who tragically died by suicide while serving on frontlines of the pandemic

WASHINGTON – Tonight, the United States House of Representatives passed the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a healthcare worker mental wellness bill introduced by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) with Representatives Susan Wild (D-PA-07), Judy Chu (D-CA-27), and David McKinley (R-WV-01). The bill is led in the Senate by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA).

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care professionals have experienced unbelievable levels of stress and burnout. But even before the pandemic, physician suicide rates were nearly twice that of the general population as approximately 1 million Americans lose their doctors to suicide each year. Twenty percent of physicians surveyed said that they know of a physician who has either considered, attempted, or died by suicide over the course of the pandemic. The issue captured national attention in April 2020 when Dr. Lorna Breen, a physician from Charlottesville, Virginia who was working on the frontlines of the pandemic in New York City, tragically died by suicide.

In honor of Dr. Lorna Breen, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act was created in order to provide support to healthcare heroes across the country. The comprehensive, bipartisan legislation would reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, and mental and behavioral health conditions among health care professionals. This legislation will help expand access to mental and behavioral health resources among those working on the frontlines of the pandemic.

Congressman Krishnamoorthi delivered the following speech in support of his bill during floor debate and footage of his remarks is available here:

"Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.

My wife Priya is a physician. Like her colleagues, she has worked tirelessly during the pandemic. And during the pandemic, people have referred to these health care workers as heroes. But as you know, our heroes are human.

They have struggled with the trauma of losing colleagues and patients, and they expose themselves to the daily risks of COVID.

They suffer from burnout, and depression, and suicide. In fact, even before the pandemic, one physician every day committed suicide, and that rate has gone up significantly during the pandemic.

I'm reminded of the situation of Dr. Scott Jolley in Utah. He would sometimes work until 3am as the only physician, the only physician on duty at his hospital.

By November 2020, he was diagnosed with PTSD and in February 2021 he had committed suicide. These tragic losses and stories from medical professionals are unending.

But today, in honor of one of these heroes, Dr. Lorna Breen, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act was created, and will expand access to mental and behavioral health resources to help our heroes. To help them cope with the stresses and anxieties that they face every single day.

And, unfortunately, some of those stresses and anxieties will continue after this pandemic, and that's why this act is so important. I look forward to passing this necessary piece of legislation today.

I yield back."

Specifically, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act:

  • Disseminates evidence-based best practices for preventing suicide and improving mental health and resiliency among health care professionals, and for training them in strategies to promote their mental health.
  • Establishes a public awareness campaign to encourage health care professionals to identify and seek support and care for their mental health or substance use concerns.
  • Establishes grants to health care entities, such as hospitals, community health centers, and rural health clinics, as well as medical professional associations, to establish or enhance evidence-based programs dedicated to improving mental health and resiliency for health care professionals.
  • Establishes grants to health professions schools, academic health centers, state or local governments, and other appropriate public or nonprofit entities, to support the training of health care students, residents, or health care professionals in evidence-based strategies to address mental health and substance use disorders and improve mental health and resiliency.
  • Requires a report to Congress in not more than 3 years on improving health care professional mental health and resiliency and the outcomes of the grant programs. The report will consider factors that contribute to poor mental health, barriers to seeking care, the impact of COVID-19, factors that promote resiliency, and the efficacy of training programs.

The full text of the bill is available here.

The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act is supported by the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM), American Academy Of Emergency Medicine Resident and Student Association (AAEM/RSA), American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of PAs, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic (AACOM), American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), American Counseling Association, American Dance Therapy Association, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Hospital Association (AHA), American Medical Association, American Medical Student Association, American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), American Osteopathic Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Society of Anesthesiologists, Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY), Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Ballad Health, Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), Columbia University Irving Medical Center, EMDR International Association, Envision Healthcare, Federation of State Medical Boards, Federation of State Physician Health Programs (FSPHP), Mental Health America, National Association of Social Workers, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, National Board Certified Counselors, National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders, National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), Postpartum Support International, RI International, SMART Recovery, The International OCD Foundation, The Jed Foundation, UVA Health, and the Well Being Trust.