On September 22, the Mental Health Liaison Group, of which ASAM is a member, sent a letter to Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Todd Young (R-IN) thanking them for introducing the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (S.4349). The legislation would greatly reduce and prevent suicide and mental and behavioral health conditions among health care professionals.

The letter notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the stresses and burdens that health care professional confront every day. This manifests in a physician suicide rate which is significantly higher than that of the general population, as well as health care provider burnout. The legislation would address these issues by establishing grants for training health care professionals in evidence-informed strategies to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions and substance use disorders, and improve health care professionals’ well-being and job satisfaction. Furthermore, the bill would establish a national evidence-based education and awareness campaign targeting health care professionals to encourage them to seek support and treatment for mental and behavioral health concerns, among other provisions.

Read the letter here.

Read the bill here.