Sustaining Our Healthcare
Workforce Through
The Lorna Breen Act
Health workers are at the heart of every life saved.
Ensuring a sustainable healthcare workforce requires structural solutions that support their mental health and wellbeing. The landmark Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act transformed the systems in which health workers are educated, trained, and practice. Recognizing the critical role the Lorna Breen Act programs play in supporting the health care workforce, Congress and the President reauthorized the programs through September 2030 in early 2026.
Now, Congress must fully fund these programs in fiscal year 2027 so we can sustain this lifesaving, systems-changing work nationwide. Take 60 seconds to contact your members of Congress and urge them to fund Lorna Breen Act programs today.
Keeping These Lifesaving Programs Going: Annual Federal Funding
While the Lorna Breen Act has been reauthorized through fiscal year 2030, these vital programs can only protect and save lives if they are fully funded.
Tens of billions of federal dollars are directed to expand the healthcare workforce, but the Lorna Breen Act programs are the only ones that directly support workforce retention. With deep staffing shortages projected across every sector of healthcare through 2038, our communities cannot afford to lose the qualified workforce we already have.
Consistent with the funding levels called for in the legislation reauthorizing Lorna Breen Act programs through fiscal year 2030, we are urging Congress to provide $45 million for Lorna Breen Act programs for fiscal year 2027:
- $35 Million for HRSA Grant Programs: Dedicated resources to sustain local hospital and system-level pathways focused on improving mental health and reducing burnout.
- $10 Million for the NIOSH Program: Operational funding to scale workplace wellbeing research, expand leadership training, and optimize clinical workflows nationwide.
YOUR VOICE IS WHAT HOLDS CONGRESS ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PROMISE OF THE LORNA BREEN ACT.
Honoring the Humans Behind the Care
The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (the Lorna Breen Act) was born out of a fierce determination to transform the U.S. healthcare system for the real lives, the humans, that serve as the backbone of our health care system.
Although named in Lorna’s honor, this law is for every health worker we’ve lost to suicide. It’s for Tristin Smith, a nurse who captured the frustration of clinical teams nationwide when she wrote that health workers deserve real, structural support rather than superficial gestures like pizza parties and pens. It’s for Dr. William West, a resident whose dedication drove our commitment to remove the institutional stigma that penalizes health workers for simply seeking help. It’s for Matt Gall, Scott Jolley, Mo Brown, and Lisa Lerner—and all the health workers who feared that seeking mental health care would put the careers they devoted their lives to at risk.
This law is for the millions of health workers who are struggling or may struggle in the future with their mental health and wellbeing. And it’s for the thousands of family members, friends, patients, and colleagues of health workers, thousands of whom have reached out to share their experiences and offer solidarity and support for this work.
The humans in healthcare are not statistics, and their dedication is the enduring heartbeat of our work. The Lorna Breen Act stands as a direct answer to their concerns —delivering the real, systemic solutions our healthcare workforce deserves.
From Shared Experiences to Proven Results
Enacted in March 2022, the Lorna Breen Act is a first-of-its-kind federal law dedicated entirely to supporting health workers’ mental health and wellbeing. By driving institutional change, this landmark legislation systematically improves care environments for our healthcare workforce.
THE LORNA BREEN ACT PROGRAMS HAVE ACHIEVED REMARKABLE PROGRESS:
Supporting 250,000+ Health Workers
Funding has supported the implementation of 44 evidence-informed initiatives at hospitals, health systems, health professions schools, and community organizations across 24 states to directly improve frontline mental health and wellbeing.
Equipping 35,000+ Healthcare Leaders
Operational resources and training have provided executive leaders with the exact tools needed to identify and remove the specific administrative burdens that drive workforce burnout.
Equipping 35,000+ Healthcare Leaders
Operational resources and training have provided executive leaders with the exact tools needed to identify and remove the specific administrative burdens that drive workforce burnout.
Independent data from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirms that when we invest in workplace operations; the impact is undeniable, including:
Workforce Retention:
35%
Burnout Mitigation:
37%
Mental Health Support:
50%
Workplace Culture:
47%
Congressional Correspondence & Testimony in Support of Full Funding for the Lorna Breen Act
- Coalition Letter to Senate Appropriations LHHSE Subcommittee Leadership in Support of Full Funding for the Lorna Breen Act for FY27 (July 31, 2026)
- Coalition Letter to House Appropriations LHHSE Subcommittee Leadership in Support of Full Funding for the Lorna Breen Act for FY27
- Coalition Letter to Senate Appropriations LHHSE Subcommittee Leadership in Support of Full Funding for the Lorna Breen Act for FY27
- Testimony Submitted to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in Support of Full Funding for the Lorna Breen Act for FY27
- Testimony Submitted to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in Support of Full Funding for the Lorna Breen Act for FY27
- Testimony to the Senate Special Committee on Aging
Harnessing Our Collective Strength
Groundbreaking systems change is never achieved alone. The historic passage, funding, and reauthorization of the Lorna Breen Act belongs to a dedicated group of bipartisan legislative champions, national healthcare organizations, and grassroots advocates, who have been working in lockstep to protect our healthcare workforce.
Dedicated Congressional Champions
We extend our deep gratitude to the lawmakers who have consistently championed the mental health of our healthcare workforce, including:
- Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Roger Marshall (R-KS).
- Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA).
- The Problem Solvers Caucus: We deeply appreciate the endorsement of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers who came together in support of the bill’s reauthorization.
A United Front Across Healthcare
More than 120 organizations stand united behind the Lorna Breen Act and the movement to support and protect health workers’ mental health. Health workers, healthcare leaders, families, and friends have sent 18,000 individual messages to lawmakers in support of the Lorna Breen Act’s reauthorization and funding. Together, this unified movement ensures that the workforce caring for the nation is supported and protected.
Supporting Organizations
Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science® and the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University.
ALL IN: Wellbeing First For Healthcare
American Academy of Dermatology Association
American Academy of Emergency Medicine
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Neurology
American Academy of Nursing
American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
American Academy of PAs
American Art Therapy Association
American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work
American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology
American Association of Nurse Practitioners
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists
American Association of Suicidology
American College of Cardiology
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Physicians
American College of Radiology
American College of Rheumatology
American College of Surgeons
American Dental Association
American Federation of Teachers
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
American Group Psychotherapy Association
American Hospital Association
American Medical Association
American Nurses Association
American Occupational Therapy Association
American Organization for Nursing Leadership
American Osteopathic Association
American Physical Therapy Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychological Association Service
American Society for Radiation Oncology
American Society of Anesthesiologists
American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
American Society of Transplant Surgeons
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
American Urological Association
AMGA
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
Association for Clinical Oncology
Association of American Medical Colleges
Ballad Health
Bon Secours Virginia
Caregiver Action Network
Carilion Clinic
CHARM
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
Children’s Hospital Association
CIMA Mennonite Hospital and Mennonite Health System
Clinical Social Work Association
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Community Health Center of the New River Valley
Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Corporate Counseling Associates
Crisis Text Line
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation
Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action
Emergency Department Practice Management Association
Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Employee Assistance Professionals Association
Federation of American Hospitals
Federation of State Medical Boards
Federation of State Physician Health Programs
FIGS
George Mason University
Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice
GPW Health Center
Healthcare Workforce Coalition
Horizon Health Services
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
Indiana State Medical Association
Inova
Inseparable
Intealth
International OCD Foundation
International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Johnson & Johnson
La Casa de Salud
Lifepoint Health
Medical Society of Virginia
Medicine Forward
Mental Health America
Moral Injury of Healthcare
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
National Association of Community Health Centers
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
National Athletic Trainers Association
National Black Nurses Association
National Consumers League
National Hispanic Health Foundation
National Hispanic Medical Association
National League for Nursing
National Medical Association
National Minority Quality Forum
National Register of Health Service Psychologists
National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC)
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
North Carolina Academy of Physician Associates
North Carolina Clinician & Physician Retention & Well-Being Consortium
Northeast Oregon Network
Ochsner Health
Organizational Wellbeing Solutions
PBI Education
Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN)
REDC Consortium
Renal Physicians Association
Shenandoah Community Health
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
Society for Vascular Surgery
Society of Gynecologic Oncology
Society of Hospital Medicine
Society of Surgical Economics
Sutter Health
The Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas DC-MD-VA chapter
The Emotional PPE Project
The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Thrive Global Foundation
Tri-Area Community Health
Tulane School of Social Work
UVA Health
Valley Health
VCU Health System
Virginia Community Healthcare Association
Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association
Virginia Nurses Association