Good News for Providers, help for behavioral health and well-being is available. On March 18, President Joe Biden authorized the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a law that will provide federal funding to address behavioral health and well-being among healthcare workers. The law is named for Lorna Breen, MD, a New York City emergency physician who passed away by suicide on April 26, 2020, toward the beginning of the pandemic. In general, the law provides up to $135 million over three years for training healthcare providers on suicide prevention and behavioral health, and for awareness efforts to improve mental health among healthcare workers, according to the White House. Anesthesia has always been an at-risk specialty and we believe it is important for all of our clients to have some basic information regarding this new law to help our healthcare providers.
The law provides: 1. Grants for training healthcare workers. The law establishes grants for training of healthcare students, residents, or healthcare professionals in evidence-informed strategies to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders. The grants will also go toward evidence-informed strategies to boost healthcare workers’ well-being and job satisfaction. The grants will be available to health professions schools, academic health centers, state or local governments, or other appropriate public or private nonprofit entities. 2. Education and awareness campaign. The law includes establishing an education and awareness campaign encouraging healthcare professionals to use available mental and behavioral health services. The campaign also includes information to help healthcare workers identify and appropriately respond to mental health-related risk factors in themselves and others. 3. Grants for promoting mental and behavioral health. Grants will be available for healthcare providers to promote mental and behavioral health among their workforces. HHS will award these grants to healthcare providers, including medical professional associations, to establish or expand evidence-informed programs to promote mental and behavioral health among their employees (including contractors). 4. Study on healthcare worker mental and behavioral health and burnout. The law establishes a study on mental and behavioral health and burnout among healthcare workers. HHS, in consultation with stakeholders, will conduct the study and submit policy recommendations to Congress. Among other things, the study will focus on identifying issues that contribute to mental and behavioral health conditions and burnout among healthcare workers. In addition, it focuses on barriers to mental and behavioral healthcare for healthcare workers. For further information please see: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1667 The ACE Team | 
