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. 

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. 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 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.

Summary: This resolution expresses support for the designation of March 18, 2024, as the Health Workforce Well-Being Day of Awareness. The resolution also recognizes the seriousness of widespread health care worker burnout in the United States.