Bill named in memory of Lorna Breen, doctor who died by suicide on frontline of pandemic, passes Con

[Eugene]

Source: Washington Post

Bill named in memory of Lorna Breen, doctor who died by suicide on frontline of pandemic, passes Congress

By Meagan Flynn
Yesterday at 4:54 p.m. EST

Almost two years since Lorna Breen died by suicide after becoming overwhelmed working on the front lines of the pandemic, a bill named in her memory to boost mental health resources for health-care workers is headed to the president’s desk.

Breen’s family in Virginia had spent months advocating for strengthening federal resources to fight burnout, prevent suicide and raise awareness about depression and other mental health issues among overburdened health-care workers who have had little relief during wave after wave of the pandemic. On Thursday night, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act — championed by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) — passed the Senate on a voice vote.

“This is a huge recognition to all those who have been working so tirelessly on our behalf that we see you, and we hear you, and we are actually working hard to help you and to support you,” said Corey Feist, Breen’s brother-in-law and the co-founder of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. “On a more personal level, Lorna cared so deeply about her colleagues … This law passing is an extension of her caring for her colleagues in the deepest possible way.”

Breen had been treating coronavirus patients in a New York City emergency room at the onset of the pandemic in 2020, when hospital beds there were flooded with patients and deaths skyrocketed. Breen came down with the virus herself and returned to work after taking minimal time to recover, but soon she appeared withdrawn. Her family encouraged her to come home to Charlottesville to take a break and to seek mental health treatment.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/02/18/lorna-breen-kaine-bill/

Non-paywalled link: https://wapo.st/3I3q9I9

[irisblue]

1. May her spirit find peace. May those who loved her find hearts ease

[3Hotdogs]

2. I try to imagine the feelings of depression she experienced. Looking back, April, 2020,

there were obituaries in my daily paper. Then around June, our local paper published the names and brief obituaries of people who had died since January. It was about 15 pages long, small print, except for the names.

I remember having a feeling of despair - an unseen enemy and no way to fight it feeling, sooner or later, its going to get every one of us. Omacron may have proved that to be true.


But unlike Lorna, I wasn't actually seeing those people die in front of me.

My step-daughter lives in our 2nd floor apartment. She is a "charge nurse" at a local hospital. She was reassigned to E.R. when the pandemic hit. She would come home exhausted every day... immediately go to the basement to change and put her scrubs in the washer. She never complained or talked about what she was seeing. Maybe I'll talk with her about it today.