“Legislation to address the nation’s physician burnout crisis is one step closer to becoming law after passing in the House of Representatives Dec. 8. The House voted 392-36 to pass the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. The bill is named after Lorna Breen, MD, who was chair of the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital and treated countless COVID-19 patients during New York City’s first surge. Dr. Breen died by suicide in April 2020 at the age of 49.
The legislation would require research into healthcare workers’ mental wellness and provide grant funding for healthcare facilities to launch suicide prevention and peer-support programs, among other initiatives. The bill now heads back to the Senate, which unanimously passed the legislation in August, to vote again on a small change, according to NBC affiliate WSLS.”
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