As America continues to recover from the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of frontline healthcare workers remains a silent, growing crisis. The same doctors, nurses, and support staff once hailed as heroes now face mounting psychological burdens, with dwindling federal support.
In 2021, Congress passed the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, named after a New York City emergency physician who died by suicide during the early months of the pandemic. The act was a historic acknowledgment of the mental toll that health care work can take, providing critical funding for mental health services, burnout prevention, and stigma reduction within the medical community. But at the end of 2024, that support vanished.
Congress allowed the Breen Act to expire, choosing not to renew the grant program that funneled millions into mental health initiatives nationwide for hospitals and care facilities. Behind the decision, critics say, was a combination of political calculation and external pressure, from influential figures including Elon Musk and then-President-elect Donald Trump.
While Musk criticized federal spending on healthcare worker support as “bureaucratic waste,” Trump reportedly viewed the extension of the Breen Act as a component of what he called a “bloated, Democrat-style healthcare package” that needed to be dismantled to “streamline government and promote private sector solutions.”
In effect, the end of the Brennan Act represents more than just a lapse in funding, it is a symbolic retreat from the commitment to protect those who protect us.
A Growing Mental Health Emergency
According to a 2024 report by the National Academy of Medicine, over 60% of healthcare professionals reported experiencing burnout, while nearly 30% showed symptoms of depression and anxiety. Alarmingly, suicide rates among physicians remain more than twice the national average.
With the expiration of federal support programs, hospitals, particularly in under-resourced communities, are struggling to maintain mental health services for their staff. “The end of the Breen Act is already being felt,” says Dr. Amanda Li, a trauma surgeon in Chicago. “Peer support teams are dissolving, mental health workshops are being canceled, and providers are again being told to just ‘tough it out.'”
The Cost of Silence
Mental health in medicine is often shrouded in stigma. The fear of professional repercussions still prevents many clinicians from seeking help. The Breen Act had begun to shift that culture, encouraging institutions to create safe, confidential pathways for workers to access support.
What’s Next?
Advocacy groups, including the Lorna Breen Foundation and several medical associations, are calling on the incoming Trump administration to reconsider the issue. The American Medical Association’s petition to reauthorize the act has gathered over 200,000 signatures.
Yet, Trump’s transition team has signaled little willingness to revisit the matter. In a statement released in early January, a spokesperson said, “President-elect Trump is focused on reducing federal overreach and empowering states and private providers to manage healthcare more efficiently.”
For those on the front lines, that means the battle for mental health support continues, with fewer allies in Washington.
