Early Impact of the Dr. Lorna Breen Grantees: Implications for Health Workers and Students

Proposal: Burnout and moral injury are among the most pressing issues facing healthcare professions students and health workers today. Attention to these issues was rising prior to the pandemic, and COVID-19 further exacerbated pressure on the health and public safety workforce and student populations, bringing burnout and moral injury experienced by these populations to the forefront. In response to the challenges exposed by COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden signed the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act in March 2022, the first financial federal program to improve mental health and address burnout in health workers and students. Through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Congress provided $120 million to the Health Resources and Services Administration to distribute grants to 44 organizations. Of the 44 organizations awarded, 91% reported working with students or trainee populations across the health professions. This presentation will provide an overview of the early impact of the programs implemented by the grantees and identify facilitators and barriers to implementation. We qualitatively analyzed key informant interviews (n = 39) and survey responses (n = 36) with grantee organizations. We found grantees were adapting their programs in terms of modality (in person vs. virtual), timing, and content to meet the needs of their workforce and student populations. Many grantees were increasingly focused on training and engaging leadership, establishing structures for worker engagement, strengthening worker voice, and allowing worker priorities to guide operational changes. Grantees working directly with students were focused on providing wellness education and coping skills training to current health professions students. Though many grantees were not yet able to report the impact of their programs, those who could provide early data documented decreases in staff turnover, burnout, and moral distress and increased community and connection. While much of the current research focuses on burnout and moral injury among health workers, there is evidence that detriments to well-being begin earlier in the health professions pathway. This presentation will impart the importance of cultivating environments that promote well-being across the health worker journey, from undergraduate health professions education to the full-time workforce. While health and public safety organizations have continued to struggle post-COVID, early evidence suggests grantees are changing organizations, culture, and the experiences of health workers and students at their organizations.