Healthcare Workforce Advocates Visit Capitol Hill to Urge Passage of Legislation: HWRA, SAVE, and Lorna Breen

Washington, DC, July 25, 2024 --(PR.com)-- Advocates with the Healthcare Workforce Coalition are on Capitol Hill today meeting with bipartisan lawmakers and staff in the U.S. Senate, during while participants will be advocating for three specific bills focused on protecting and enhancing the nation’s healthcare workforce. Bipartisan legislation discussed during the fly-in will include the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (HWRA), the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act, and the Reauthorization of the Dr. Lorna Breen Provider Protection Act.

“We are proud to participate in today's fly-in. It’s important we advocate for bipartisan, common-sense policies that address our nation’s worsening healthcare workforce shortage,” said Caitlyn Obrock, System Director of Clinical Recruitment at SSM Health. “We must ensure a strong pipeline of competent clinicians to care for patients during their most vulnerable and greatest time of need, which should be a top priority for all lawmakers.”

Specifically, the HWC has endorsed three critical bills that aim to address healthcare workforce shortages, enhance safety standards and enable access to mental health care for healthcare providers. By providing insight to legislators on how these bills will mitigate current workforce shortages and help bolster professionals across the healthcare sector, the HWC hopes to enlist greater support across Congress to ensure these bills become law this year.

· HWRA: The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (H.R. 6205/S.3211) aims to address the U.S. healthcare workforce crisis by providing 25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 for physicians, allowing qualified foreign healthcare professionals to work in the U.S. permanently. The HWRA would help to fill critical workforce gaps and mitigate the severe shortages in the nation's healthcare system by creating immigration pathways for qualified foreign healthcare professionals to live and work in the U.S. permanently.

· SAVE Act: With a shocking increase in violence towards healthcare providers, the bipartisan Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act (H.R. 2584/S. 2768), aims to protect hospitals employees from violence and intimidation in their workplace. The SAVE Act would impose severe penalties on those who assault hospital employees, with fines and imprisonment of up to 20 years, while also providing grants to hospitals to enhance security and coordination with law enforcement.

· Reauthorization of the Lorna Breen Act: The Dr. Lorna Breen Provider Protection Act (H.R. 7153/S. 3679)addresses the mental health crisis among healthcare workers by funding mental health training, peer support, and crisis intervention programs. Since 2022, it has allocated $103 million to reduce burnout and mental health issues, with reauthorization aiming to expand these grants and reduce administrative burdens for more healthcare settings.

“There are a lot of legislative bills pending this year, but Congress needs to prioritize legislation in the healthcare sector. HWRA is much-needed legislation for hospitals and skilled nursing centers to alleviate the nursing shortage,” said Katie Chieda, Fisher Titus's Chief Nursing Officer.

To learn more about the Healthcare Workforce Coalition, visit www.healthcareworkforce.org.