Bipartisan leaders in Congress have introduced legislation to reauthorize the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, the ACEP-developed bill to provide critical mental health resources and support for health care workers that was originally signed into law on March 18, 2022. The law needs to be reauthorized and this new bill introduced by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) and Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA) will reauthorize these critical grants to provide education on strategies to reduce burnout, provide peer-support programming, and increase access to mental and behavioral health treatment services.

The law honors the life and legacy of Dr. Lorna Breen, a New York City emergency physician who died by suicide in April 2020 and whose story highlighted the intense pressures and burnout rates faced by emergency physicians and other health care professionals. To date, more than $100 million has been distributed under the law to improve access to mental health resources for physicians across the nation. But more needs to be done.

This bill sets these critical programs on a traditional five-year authorization process, ensuring continued support for health care workers' well-being. Now, legislators need to hear from emergency physicians across the country to underscore the need for Congress to continue to safeguard the health and well-being of those on the front lines of care.

Please note if your Senator and/or Representative is already a co-sponsor of the bill, you will not be able to send this message.