The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced $103 million in awards to improve the retention of healthcare workers and help respond to the nation’s critical staffing needs by reducing burnout and promoting mental health and wellness among the healthcare workforce.
These awards will fund evidence-informed programs, practices and training, with a specific focus on providers in underserved and rural communities. The funds from the American Rescue Plan, will be disbursed to 45 grantees.
COVID-19 has compounded rates of depression and anxiety among healthcare workers. The relentless physical and emotional demands of treating patients during a pandemic have exacerbated longstanding barriers to workplace well-being. While the challenge is complex, these multi-year awards will support proven strategies for healthcare providers, academic institutions, and other recipients to reduce burnout and build resiliency.
These strategies will include the creation of partnerships and utilization of local resources to directly support health professionals’ response to workplace stressors, and provide training to help individuals manage the constantly changing, high-stress environment of health care.
HRSA is making these awards through three programs:
- Promoting Resilience and Mental Health Among Health Professional Workforce – HRSA is awarding $28.6 million to 10 grantees to help health care organizations establish, improve, or expand evidence-informed programs and practices to promote mental health and well-being among the health workforce, including their employees.
- Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Training Program – HRSA is awarding $68.2 million to 34 grantees to support tailored evidence-informed training development within health profession and nursing training activities. This curriculum will help reduce burnout and promote resilience among health care students, residents, health care professionals, paraprofessionals, trainees and public safety officers, such as firefighters, law enforcement officers, and ambulance crew members.
- Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Technical Assistance Center – HRSA is awarding $6 million to George Washington University to provide tailored training and technical assistance to today’s awardees.
