[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1089 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1089
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''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 19, 2024
Mrs. Dingell (for herself, Ms. Wild, and Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
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''.
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 House of Representative--
(1) expresses support for ``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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