The Senate last night unanimously passed the AHA-supported Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (S. 610). A companion bill (H.R. 1667) introduced in the House in March awaits consideration.

Named for a doctor who led the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, the bipartisan legislation would authorize grants to create programs that offer behavioral health services for front-line health care workers. It would also require the Department of Health and Human Services to study and recommend strategies to address health care provider burnout and facilitate resiliency, and launch a campaign encouraging health care workers to seek assistance when needed. As amended by the Senate before passage, the bill also would require the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on the extent to which federal substance use disorder and mental health grant programs address SUD and mental health conditions among health professionals. 
 

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA today voiced support for the Rural Hospital Support Act (S. 335), legislation that would make the Medicare-dependent Hospital program and low-volume…
Headline
The AHA voiced support for bipartisan House legislation introduced Feb. 4 to reauthorize for five years the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act…
Headline
In this new “Caring for Our Kids” episode, David Wagner, pediatric psychologist at Oregon Health and Science University, discusses the Novel Interventions in…
Headline
The White House Feb. 1 announced it placed tariffs on imported goods from Canada, Mexico and China. The tariffs for Mexico and Canada have since been delayed…
Headline
The AHA Jan. 28 voiced support for bipartisan legislation to reauthorize for five years the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which provides…
Headline
Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Jan. 23 introduced the Drug-price Transparency for Consumers Act, legislation supported by the AHA that…