Young-supported bill to improve health of healthcare workforce signed into law

President Joe Biden on March 18 signed into law a bipartisan bill supported by U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) that establishes grants and requires other activities to improve mental and behavioral health among the nation’s healthcare workforce.

Sen. Young originally introduced the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, S.610, on March 4, 2021, along with U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA).

Named in honor of Dr. Lorna Breen, a physician from Charlottesville, Va., who worked on the front lines of the pandemic in New York and died by suicide in the spring of 2020, the new law will establish grants for health profession schools, academic health centers or other institutions to train health workers in strategies to prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Young’s staff.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, the same-named bill, H.R. 1667, was introduced on March 8, 2021, by U.S. Reps. Susan Wild (D-PA) and 14 original cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). The U.S. Senate approved that bill on Feb. 18 after the U.S. House passed it in December 2021. H.R. 1667 was signed into law law last week by the president.

“Throughout the pandemic, our frontline workers put their health on the line each and every day so that Hoosier communities could stay safe and secure,” Sen. Young said. “The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act will provide these selfless workers with the support they deserve to prevent suicide and promote mental and behavioral health for years to come.”

The law seeks to identify and disseminate evidence-informed best practices for reducing and preventing suicide and burnout among healthcare professionals and for training healthcare professionals in appropriate strategies to promote their mental health.

The law also will establish a national evidence-based education and awareness campaign targeting healthcare professionals to encourage them to seek support and treatment for mental and behavioral health concerns, as well as establish grants for healthcare providers and professional associations for employee education, peer-support programming, and mental and behavioral health treatment, the summary says. 

A study also will be conducted on healthcare professionals’ mental and behavioral health and burnout, including the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on their health.