HHS awards grants to tackle health worker burnout, well-being

The Health and Human Services Department has chosen the grantees for $103 million to address healthcare worker burnout and improve employees' mental health and well-being, the department announced Thursday.

The money, made available through the American Rescue Plan Act and distributed by the Health Resources and Services Administration, will be split among 45 grantees. The grants place a specific focus on programs in underserved and rural communities, according to a HRSA news release. The dollars will fund projects including hiring resiliency trainers to support healthcare staff, establishing health system-wide wellness programs and devising initiatives to overcome the stigma associated with healthcare workers seeking mental health treatment.

"We see these investments as vital to not only individual healthcare providers' well-being, but to the health and well being of all of us," HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson said during a call with reporters Thursday. "A healthy population requires a healthy workforce."

Ten organizations including academic medical centers and community health centers will receive a total of $28.6 million over three years to develop or improve programs that promote mental health and well-being for healthcare workers.

Centro de Salud de la Comunidad de San Ysidro in San Diego, Centerstone of Illinois, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers in Worcester and the Washington University of Saint Louis are the largest grant recipients. Each will get $2,956,000 over three years.

Another 34 organizations will receive a combined $68.2 million to develop training programs for nurses and other health professionals to reduce burnout and promote resilience.

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The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists plans to use the money to develop a Well-Being Ambassador Program that will raise awareness of burnout among pharmacists and support local strategies to foster well-being, particularly among those practicing in tribal, rural or other underserved areas.

"We are extremely honored to be selected by HRSA to lead this critical work as part of our longstanding commitment to advance well-being and resilience in the pharmacy and healthcare workforce," ASHP CEO Paul Abramowitz said in a statement.

The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers will implement customized programing at five clinics to address mental health and burnout issues and to help incorporate these efforts into everyday operations.

"As staffing shortages mount even higher across the health system, health centers have been hit the hardest. Resilience and wellness programs offer a critical recruitment and retention tool to attract and retain a strong and healthy workforce," Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Kerin O'Toole wrote in an email.

A national Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Technical Assistance Center will also be set up at George Washington University through a $6 million grant. The center will provide assistance to the 45 grantees, and deliver lessons learned through the grant projects to the greater healthcare workforce, Johnson said.

Healthcare workers have reported staggering levels of burnout and stress throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. An American Medical Association survey found that 49% of nearly 21,000 workers surveyed experienced burnout between May and October 2020.

Many healthcare workers have left their jobs during the pandemic, and nearly half of respondents to a recent Doximity physician survey indicated they were thinking about leaving the field.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misnamed the American Society of Health-System Pharmacist