AHCA/NCAL commends the recent passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R. 929/S. 266) as part of the federal budget deal. This bill is sponsored by Sens. Kaine (D-VA) and Young (R-IN) and Reps. Dingell (D-MI) and Kiggans (R-VA). The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act was first passed by Congress in 2022 to help address a significant rise in mental health concerns and suicide rates among healthcare employees. Named for an emergency room physician who tragically died by suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic, the legislation has funded strategic mental health and burnout reducing interventions throughout the United States. More specifically, the bill expands funding and extends the bill’s reauthorization period to five years. You can read more details on the bill and its passage in the Healthcare Workforce Coalition’s press statement, of which AHCA/NCAL is a member of.