Senate committee passes legislation on mental health, emergency pediatric services

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions May 23 passed legislation that included proposals on mental health and emergency pediatric services during a markup session. The AHA submitted a statement for the hearing, expressing support for the passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (S. 3679), which would reauthorize grants for health care providers to establish programs offering behavioral health services for front-line workers, as well as a national education and awareness campaign providing health leaders with evidence-based solutions to reduce health care worker burnout. The AHA also expressed support for the bill as a member of the Healthcare Workforce Coalition, which earlier this week sent a letter to Senate HELP Committee leadership. 

AHA also supported reauthorizing the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program (S. 3765) for an additional five years. The program provides specialized emergency care for children through the availability of child-appropriate equipment in ambulances and emergency departments, and supports training programs to prevent injuries to children and educate emergency medical technicians, paramedics and other emergency medical care providers.