H.R. 929: Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (119th Congress) Bill Summary

This bill, known as the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act, aims to continue and expand provisions that support mental health and well-being among health care professionals. It builds on the initial Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which emphasizes the importance of mental health services for health care providers.

Key Provisions of the Bill

1. Education and Awareness Initiative

The bill amends a section of the existing act to require ongoing education and awareness efforts. Specifically, health care professionals will be encouraged to utilize mental health and substance use disorder services annually, ensuring that these resources are consistently highlighted and available.

2. Programs to Promote Mental Health

The legislation establishes programs focused on improving the mental health of the health care workforce. This includes:

Renaming a section that addresses these programs to clarify its purpose.
Identifying eligible entities that can receive support, specifically those that are actively working to reduce administrative burdens on health care providers.
Ensuring measurable support for these initiatives from 2026 through 2030, extending the authorization beyond previous years.

3. Focus on Administrative Burden Reduction

The bill emphasizes the need to lessen administrative tasks for health care workers as a means of improving their overall mental health. This suggests a recognition of the need for systemic changes that allow health care providers to focus more on patient care and less on paperwork and administrative processes.

4. Duration of Initiatives

By extending the authorized period for these programs through to 2030, the bill aims to provide a stable framework for continued support of mental health initiatives for health care professionals over the coming years.

Conclusion

This bill seeks to strengthen the ongoing efforts to protect and promote the mental health of health care providers, addressing pressing mental health needs within the workforce while reducing administrative burdens to improve their working conditions.