A bipartisan bicameral group of U.S. Senators and Representatives recently introduced legislation to reauthorize the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act for another five years.

The original legislation was signed into law on March 18, 2022, and was named in honor of Dr. Lorna Breen, a physician from Virginia, who died by suicide in April 2020 due to the stress and trauma of serving on the frontlines caring for COVID-19 patients in New York City during the height of the pandemic. 

The law has already provided $100 million in funding for mental health care for providers across the country. However, some provisions of the original law are set to expire at the end of this year, making the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (S. 3679/H.R. 7153) vital to continuing this good work. 

The California Medical Association applauds the introduction of this important legislation.