[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 28, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S1046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 567--RECOGNIZING THE SERIOUSNESS OF WIDESPREAD HEALTH 
  CARE WORKER BURNOUT IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE NEED TO STRENGTHEN 
HEALTH WORKFORCE WELL-BEING, AND EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGNATION 
 OF MARCH 18, 2024, AS THE INAUGURAL ``HEALTH WORKFORCE WELL-BEING DAY 
                             OF AWARENESS''

  Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Reed, Mrs. Capito, Ms. 
Stabenow, Ms. Collins, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Smith, Mr. King, Mr. Warner, 
Ms. Sinema, and Mr. Kelly) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions:

                              S. Res. 567

       Whereas the capacity and well-being of the United States 
     health workforce has been burdened for decades by an epidemic 
     of burnout, and this trend has been exacerbated in recent 
     years;
       Whereas burnout can have wide-ranging consequences for 
     individual health care workers, including occupational 
     injury, risk of depression and suicide, lower morale and 
     productivity, absenteeism, and possible deleterious impact on 
     patient care;
       Whereas 50 percent of health care workers reported burnout 
     in 2020;
       Whereas, in 2020, 44 percent of nurses experienced physical 
     violence and 68 percent experienced verbal abuse;
       Whereas, in 2020, 69 percent of physicians experienced 
     colloquial depression, 20 percent experienced clinical 
     depression, and 13 percent had thoughts of suicide;
       Whereas physicians, particularly female physicians, are 
     more likely than the general population to die by suicide, 
     and United States physicians are more likely to die by 
     suicide than physicians in other nations;
       Whereas rates of burnout have serious consequences for the 
     capacity of the United States health system, particularly in 
     regard to employee retention and recruitment;
       Whereas, in 2023, job quitting among health care and social 
     assistance workers was 9.2 percent higher than in February 
     2020;
       Whereas approximately 40 percent of United States health 
     care workers plan to leave their current role within the next 
     5 years;
       Whereas the average operating margin for hospitals in the 
     United States was reduced by 130 percent between 2019 and 
     2020, driven in part by persistent labor shortages;
       Whereas staffing shortages and impacts of burnout on the 
     mental health and productivity of health care workers raise 
     serious concerns about quality of care and patient safety;
       Whereas the decreased capacity of the United States health 
     system constitutes both a serious public health concern and a 
     challenge to economic security;
       Whereas, in 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Safety 
     and Health launched the Health Worker Mental Health 
     Initiative, which aims to raise awareness of health workers' 
     mental health issues and improve trainings and resources to 
     address the mental health of health workers;
       Whereas, in 2022, Congress enacted the Dr. Lorna Breen 
     Health Care Provider Protection Act (42 U.S.C. 294s et seq.), 
     which established grants and required other activities to 
     improve mental and behavioral health among health care 
     providers;
       Whereas, in 2022, the Office of the Surgeon General 
     published an Advisory on Addressing Health Worker Burnout to 
     call attention to the health worker burnout crisis and to the 
     urgent need to support the well-being of the health workforce 
     of the United States;
       Whereas, in 2022, the National Academy of Medicine released 
     the National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being, 
     delineating necessary actions to safeguard the United States 
     health workforce; and
       Whereas a more robust national focus on protecting the 
     well-being and mental health of health care workers will 
     improve outcomes for workers and patients, strengthen the 
     United States health system, and support population health: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses support for the designation of March 18, 
     2024, as the inaugural ``Health Workforce Well-Being Day of 
     Awareness'';
       (2) recognizes the seriousness of widespread health care 
     worker burnout in the United States and the need to 
     strengthen health workforce well-being; and
       (3) supports the goals and ideals of the Health Workforce 
     Well-Being Day of Awareness, which include--
       (A) raising public awareness about the importance of 
     protecting the well-being of physicians, nurses, and other 
     health care professionals to sustain the capacity of the 
     United States health system and ensure the quality of patient 
     care;
       (B) mobilizing action to support the well-being of 
     physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals 
     across multiple sectors, including Federal, State, and local 
     governments, health systems, insurers and payers, health 
     information technology companies, educational, training, and 
     accreditation organizations, private and nonprofit 
     organizations, media and communications companies, and 
     organizations that employ health care workers;
       (C) creating and sustaining positive work and learning 
     environments and culture;
       (D) investing in measurement, assessment, strategies, and 
     research;
       (E) supporting mental and behavioral health, including 
     removing barriers to accessing care and treatment, and 
     reducing stigma;
       (F) engaging effective tools and technology that reduce 
     administrative burdens on physicians, nurses, and other 
     health care professionals;
       (G) establishing well-being as a long-term value in health 
     organizations; and
       (H) recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive health 
     workforce.

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