Senate Passes Legislation to Support Mental Health and Emergency Pediatric Services, AHA Expresses Support for Bills

During a recent markup session, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions passed legislation that included proposals on mental health and emergency pediatric services. The American Hospital Association (AHA) submitted a statement expressing their support for the passage of two bills: the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (S. 3679) and the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program (S. 3765).

The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act would reauthorize grants for health care providers to establish programs offering behavioral health services for front-line workers, as well as a national education and awareness campaign providing evidence-based solutions to reduce health care worker burnout. As a member of the Healthcare Workforce Coalition, the AHA also showed support for this bill by sending a letter to Senate HELP Committee leadership.

Additionally, the AHA supported the reauthorization of the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program (S. 3765) for an additional five years. This program provides specialized emergency care for children by ensuring the availability of child-appropriate equipment in ambulances and emergency departments. It also supports training programs to prevent injuries to children and educate emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and other emergency medical care providers.