Senate passes AHA-supported Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act

The Senate last night passed and sent to the president the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (H.R. 1667), AHA-supported legislation that would authorize grants for programs that offer behavioral health services for front-line health care workers. Named for a doctor who led the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, the bill also would require the Department of Health and Human Services to recommend strategies to facilitate health care provider well-being and launch a campaign encouraging health care workers to seek assistance when needed. The House passed the bill last December and the president is expected to sign it into law.