ACEP-Supported Mental Health Bill Introduced in Congress

Bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate would reauthorize funding for the law named in honor of the life and legacy of Dr. Lorna Breen, an emergency physician who died by suicide during the pandemic. ACEP was instrumental in the drafting and 2022 passage of this law, which has since provided $100 million for physician and care team mental health care.

“With strong ACEP support, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act became the first federal law focused on addressing the barriers preventing physicians and health care workers from receiving mental health care,” said ACEP President Alison Haddock, MD, FACEP. “Emergency physicians face the highest rates of stress and burnout in medicine and there’s no question, this law is saving lives and protecting livelihoods.”

ACEP will continue working to restore physician autonomy and address the underlying issues fueling burnout. The College is committed to ensuring that physicians and health care workers have access to the mental health treatment and support services they need and deserve. If passed, the “Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act” would reauthorize the law for five years, providing grants for health care organizations, associations, schools and others to prioritize strategies to reduce burnout, peer-support programs, suicide prevention training, and mental and behavioral health treatment.

The bill, S. 266, also includes reauthorization for a national evidence-based education campaign.

ACEP is grateful to Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Roger Marshall (R-KS), and allies across the country for prioritizing the mental health of the professionals on the frontlines.

“We fully endorse the reauthorization of this vital law honoring of the life and legacy of our emergency medicine colleague and strongly encourage its prompt passage,” said Dr. Haddock.

Ohio ACEP‘s Government Affairs Chair, Dr. RJ Sontag, Workplace Violence Workgroup Chair, Dr. Nicole Veitinger, Executive Director Holly Dorr, and lobbyist Amanda Sines attend Governor DeWine’s signing ceremony for H.B. 452, the Healthcare Workplace Safety Bill. (Click to enlarge).

Ohio ACEP is Protecting Emergency Physicians from Violence

A new Ohio law will help protect the state’s emergency physicians and health care workers from violence.

Ohio ACEP advocacy supported the effort from start to finish. The new law aims to prevent hospital violence, enhance training, improve incident tracking and reporting, and strengthen security plans. In passionate testimony, Ohio ACEP leaders explained why laws that strengthen protections for physicians and care teams are vital. They cited data from a 2024 ACEP member poll to emphasize that physical and verbal assaults are common across the country.