The Biden administration is supplying $103 million in grants to help curb healthcare worker burnout and staffing shortages, the White House announced Friday.
The funding will be awarded through three different programs and will be given to 45 total winners, the Department of Health and Human Services said. Burnout has been named a top reason for nurse departures by an array of professional groups, especially connected to long-term care.
Just more than $68 million will be granted to 34 providers through the Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Training Program; $28.6 million will be granted to 10 winners through the Promoting Resilience and Mental Health Among Health Professional Workforce program; and $6 million will be given to George Washington University through the Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Technical Assistance Center.
Each of the programs is tailored toward promoting mental health and reducing burnout. among healthcare workers. Recent studies have found that nurses have a 38% higher risk of suicide compared to other U.S. workers.
The grants will fund evidence-informed programs, practices and training, with a specific focus on providers in underserved and rural communities. The administration hopes the funding support will help improve the retention of healthcare workers.
“COVID-19 has compounded rates of depression and anxiety among healthcare workers,” explained an HHS statement. “The relentless physical and emotional demands of treating patients during a pandemic have exacerbated long standing barriers to workplace well-being. While the challenge is complex, these multi-year awards will support proven strategies for health care providers, academic institutions, and other recipients to reduce burnout and build resiliency.”
