AHA Statement to Senate Committee on Physician Well-being, Pediatric Emergency Care Acts

Statement
of the
American Hospital Association
for the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
of the
U.S. Senate

"Executive Session on S. 3679, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act and S. 3765, Emergency Medical Services for Children Reauthorization Act of 2024”

May 23, 2024

On behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners — including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers — and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups, the American Hospital Association (AHA) appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on legislation to be considered at the committee’s executive session on May 23, 2024.

Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (S. 3679).
For decades, health care professionals have faced greater rates of mental and behavioral health conditions, suicide and burnout than other professions while fearing the stigma and potential career repercussions of seeking care. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the already-present issues of stress, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues experienced by health care providers.

The AHA supports S. 3679, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act that addresses this mental health crisis among our nation’s healers. The law is intended to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, and mental and behavioral health conditions among health care providers. The act would reauthorize grants to health care providers to establish programs that offer behavioral health services for front-line workers as well as a national education and awareness campaign that provides health leaders with evidence-based solutions to reduce health care worker burnout.

Emergency Medical Services for Children Reauthorization Act of 2024 (S. 3765). The AHA supports S. 3765 which reauthorizes the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program for an additional five years to provide specialized emergency care for children through availability of child-appropriate equipment in ambulances and emergency departments. In addition, the program supports training programs to prevent injuries to children and to educate emergency medical technicians, paramedics and other emergency medical care providers.

We thank you for your leadership on behalf of the nation’s health care workforce, and we look forward to working with you to enact these important pieces of legislation.