The Lorna Breen Healthcare Provider Protection Act
It’s been a year and a half since Dr. Lorna Breen, Supervisor of Emergency Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, died of suicide, but the emotional impact on healthcare providers and the community at large is still very fresh. How could a seemingly confident, clever, zealous and well-respected physician have died so tragically? As a fellow physician, I now recognize that if it can happen to her, it can happen to any healthcare professional.
Dr. Breen’s downward spiral became apparent at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, steadily draining her of optimism and resilience. While she initially sought out help to deal with her extreme stress and burnout, she soon became afraid of losing her medical license or being ostracized by her colleagues due to admitting to burnout. In other words, she was afraid of the potential consequences of exposing her personal anguish. As a TIMES article accurately reported, part of the problem is that “the culture within the medical community…makes suffering easy to overlook or hide,” and that “an insidious stigma about mental health (has) persisted,” which often prevents healthcare professionals from seeking needed help.
Extreme conditions during Covid-19, like chronic stress, resource limitation, fear of personal and family risk, and the witnessing of unparalleled loss of life, have led to a national deterioration of healthcare provider wellbeing, resulting in overwhelming fatigue and PTSD. The prevalence of extreme burnout and suicide cannot be addressed on an individual level; rather, they are systemic issues that require comprehensive and organized changes.
With that mindset as their motivation, Dr. Breen’s sister and brother-in-law, Jennifer and Corey Feist, started the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, advocating for a system and culture change in healthcare. During his October 26, 2021 testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee, Mr. Feist stated that, “Nearly half of those healthcare professionals who need mental health treatment won’t access to it for fear of professional repercussions. Given the trauma and burnout they have experienced, this is like sending the entire healthcare workforce off to war for 18 months and then refusing to support them when they return.”
Thanks to the work of the Feists, sponsored by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and others, the Lorna Breen Healthcare Provider Protection Act passed unanimously in the Senate and is now in Committee in the House Subcommittee for Health. The primary sponsor in the House is Representative Susan Wild (D-PA 7), and the bill has 140 bipartisan co-sponsors. The legislation’s goals are to “disseminate evidence-based best practices for preventing suicide and improving mental health and resilience among health care providers,” and provide grants to “establish a national evidence-based education and awareness initiative to encourage health care professionals to seek support and care for their mental health and substance use concerns.” According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the legislation will award 35 million dollars in grants each year between 2022 and 2024.
Currently, up to 12% of doctors with burnout syndrome have expressed thoughts of suicide, and the suicide rate among medical trainees is double that of the general population. In fact, we are losing almost 400 healthcare providers a year to suicide. This is comparable to losing the number of medical students in an average size medical school every year! Now more than ever, the healthcare field has an undeniable responsibility to provide legitimate solutions that address the widespread troubles and work toward realizing provider wellbeing. Please do your part to urge Congress to pass H.R. 1667, The Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.
Jeffrey S. Levy, MD
Founder and CEO, CaseNetwork
About CaseNetwork
CaseNetwork is a physician-led online medical education company that delivers online case-based, competency-driven education for healthcare professionals to improve their knowledge and skills advancing both patient care and self-care. CaseNetwork’s CoreCases curriculum features virtual patient simulations that integrate evidence-based clinical information with required proficiencies and skills for hundreds of disease states. Their CoreWellness curriculum includes skill-based wellbeing education and assessment designed for the unique challenges of healthcare professionals. Both platforms provide standardized distance learning and group learning options with anytime, anywhere access. For more information go to casenetwork.com.
