RECOGNIZING MARCH 18, 2025, AS THE INAUGURAL “HEALTH WORKFORCE WELL-BEING DAY OF AWARENESS”.

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Minor-Brown & Rep. Chukwuocha & Rep. Jones Giltner & Rep. Kamela Smith & Sen. Townsend & Sen. Pinkney

Reps. Bush, Carson, Hilovsky, K. Johnson, Morrison, Neal, Ortega, Osienski, Ross Levin, Bolden, Cooke, Snyder-Hall; Sens. Hoffner, Huxtable, Pettyjohn, Seigfried

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 18

RECOGNIZING MARCH 18, 2025, 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; and

WHEREAS, burnout can have wide-ranging consequences for individual healthcare workers, including occupational injury, lower morale and productivity, absenteeism, and risk of depression and suicide; and

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; and

WHEREAS, 50 percent of healthcare workers reported burnout in 2020; 44 percent of nurses experienced physical violence and 68 percent experienced verbal abuse; and 69 percent of physicians experienced colloquial depression, 20 percent experienced clinical depression, and 13 percent had thoughts of suicide; and

WHEREAS, rates of burnout have serious consequences for the capacity of the United States health system, particularly in regard to employee retention and recruitment; and

WHEREAS, in 2023, job quitting among health care and social assistance workers was 9.2 percent higher than in February 2020; and

WHEREAS, staffing shortages, employee turnover, and impacts of burnout on the mental health and productivity of health care workers raise serious concerns about consistency of care, quality of care, and patient safety; and

WHEREAS, the decreased capacity of the United States health system constitutes both a serious public health concern and a challenge to economic security; and

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; and

WHEREAS, in 2022, Congress enacted the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which established grants and required other activities to improve mental and behavioral health among health care providers; and

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; and

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, in 2023, HRSA recognized 37 Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) in Delaware, among the primary care, dental and mental health disciplines; and

WHEREAS, the State of Delaware and our many healthcare advocacy leaders are committed to preventing burnout amongst healthcare professionals and enhancing the well-being of these professionals.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED

that the House of Representatives of the 153rd General Assembly, the Senate concurring therein, recognizes March 18, 2025 as Health Workforce Well-Being Day of Awareness.

SYNOPSIS

This House concurrent resolution recognizes March 18, 2025, as the inaugural "Health Workforce Well-Being Day of Awareness."