III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 567 

Recognizing the seriousness of widespread health care worker burnout in 

the United States and the need to strengthen health workforce wellbeing, and expressing support for the designation of March 18, 2024, 

as the inaugural ‘‘Health Workforce Well-Being Day of Awareness’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2024 

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 

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 


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•SRES 567 IS 

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; 


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•SRES 567 IS 

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 WellBeing, delineating necessary actions to safeguard the 

United States health workforce; and 

Whereas a more robust national focus on protecting the wellbeing 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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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•SRES 567 IS 

1 (1) expresses support for the designation of 

2 March 18, 2024, as the inaugural ‘‘Health Work3 force Well-Being Day of Awareness’’; 

4 (2) recognizes the seriousness of widespread 

5 health care worker burnout in the United States and 

6 the need to strengthen health workforce well-being; 

7 and 

8 (3) supports the goals and ideals of the Health 

9 Workforce Well-Being Day of Awareness, which in10 clude— 

11 (A) raising public awareness about the im12 portance of protecting the well-being of physi13 cians, nurses, and other health care profes14 sionals to sustain the capacity of the United 

15 States health system and ensure the quality of 

16 patient care; 

17 (B) mobilizing action to support the well18 being of physicians, nurses, and other health 

19 care professionals across multiple sectors, in20 cluding Federal, State, and local governments, 

21 health systems, insurers and payers, health in22 formation technology companies, educational, 

23 training, and accreditation organizations, pri24 vate and nonprofit organizations, media and 


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1 communications companies, and organizations 

2 that employ health care workers; 

3 (C) creating and sustaining positive work 

4 and learning environments and culture; 

5 (D) investing in measurement, assessment, 

6 strategies, and research; 

7 (E) supporting mental and behavioral 

8 health, including removing barriers to accessing 

9 care and treatment, and reducing stigma; 

10 (F) engaging effective tools and technology 

11 that reduce administrative burdens on physi12 cians, nurses, and other health care profes13 sionals; 

14 (G) establishing well-being as a long-term 

15 value in health organizations; and 

16 (H) recruiting and retaining a diverse and 

17 inclusive health workforce. 

Æ 


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