Problem Solvers Caucus Endorses Bill to Expand Mental Health Support for Health Care Workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, the Problem Solvers Caucus announced its endorsement of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R. 929), bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the first and only federal program to strengthen America’s health care workforce.

Passed in 2022 in memory of Dr. Lorna Breen — an emergency physician who died by suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic — the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act was enacted to relieve the stress and burnout facing health care workers. Since becoming law, the program has expanded access to mental and behavioral health care for more than 250,000 health care workers nationwide.

The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act would extend the program for an additional five years, ensuring health care workers can continue to access this crucial program. Specifically, the legislation renews funding for:

• A grant program for health care organizations and professional associations to provide employee education on strategies to reduce burnout, peer-support programming, and mental and behavioral health treatment.
• A grant program for health profession schools or other institutions to train health care workers and students in strategies to prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders.
• A national evidence-based education and awareness campaign to provide hospital and health system leaders with evidence-informed solutions to reduce health care worker burnout.

This bipartisan, bicameral legislation was introduced in the House by Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Jen Kiggans (VA-02), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), and Marienette Miller-Meeks (IA-01). The bill has 81 cosponsors, 16 of whom are members of the Problem Solvers Caucus. The bill was brought forward for caucus endorsement by Representatives Dingell and Kiggans. 

“Healthcare professionals dedicate their lives to serving their patients, often at the expense of their own physical and emotional wellbeing,” said Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06). “I’m grateful the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act has been endorsed by the Problem Solvers Caucus, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill passed into law. This bill will provide much-needed resources to address the mental and behavioral health conditions doctors and nurses face and continue reducing the stigma surrounding their utilization of mental health care.” 

“Healthcare providers work tirelessly every day to care for patients and strengthen our communities,” said Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02). “Too often, these dedicated workers face burnout and mental health challenges without the support they deserve. As a geriatric nurse practitioner, I’ve seen these struggles firsthand. I’m grateful to Rep. Dingell and for the support of the Problem Solvers Caucus to expand suicide prevention resources and ensure our healthcare workforce has the help they need to continue delivering quality care.”

“Doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers of all kinds routinely do what it takes, often at great sacrifice, to take care of us and our loved ones. It’s only fair that they continue to have access to the same level of treatment that they provide, including treatment for mental and behavioral health,” said Problem Solvers Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Tom Suozzi (NY-03). “This bill does just that. When we take care of the people that take care of us, our system gets more efficient, patients get better care, and it’s just the right thing to do.”

“The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Act was a first-of-its-kind law because it recognized a simple truth: you cannot have a strong healthcare system without a supported healthcare workforce. Since its enactment, it has expanded access to care, reduced stigma, and supported more than a quarter-million healthcare professionals nationwide,” said Problem Solvers Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01). “Reauthorizing this bipartisan, evidence-based law ensures we continue supporting healthcare workers in ways that strengthen patient care and the systems that deliver it.”

###

The Problem Solvers Caucus is a group of Members of Congress — split between Republicans and Democrats — committed to advancing common-sense solutions to key issues facing our nation.