As I spoke with health workers across the nation, a common theme came up despite the hardships they faced: a fierce commitment to serve. I’m grateful to have personally thanked Betsy, Derick, and Gina for their service—and hope you do the same for a health worker in your community.
I was reminded today @gradyhealth in Atlanta how lucky we are to have health workers so dedicated to caring for others. Grateful to meet with health workers and hospital leaders for a candid conversation about how to address health worker burnout.
My new Advisory calls on the nation to address the health worker burnout crisis and support the well-being of our nation’s health workforce. https://surgeongeneral.gov/burnout
Today's visit reinforced the urgency of taking action. Increasing burnout is bad for health workers and it negatively affects the nation’s access to care.
Thank you to the leadership at @gradyhealth for facilitating a conversation on health worker burnout and setting a goal for healing their own health workforce.
The pandemic exacerbated conditions that were already leading to unprecedented burnout among health workers. @joelbervell and I are here to show you what that looks like—and what we can do about it.
Today, I had the pleasure of speaking with students at Morehouse School of Medicine (@morehouseschoolofmedicine). We spoke about the health worker pipeline and the importance of representation in the health workforce—present and future.
Health worker training programs can help address burnout by building a culture and community of support. These elements are essential for wellbeing, and they set up trainees for success.
My new Advisory identifies these factors and more are central to addressing health worker burnout: https://surgeongeneral.gov/burnout
I look forward to seeing the tremendous contributions @morehouseschoolofmedicine students will make in their communities in the years ahead.
If anyone doubted that gun violence is a public health crisis in America, yesterday was an unequivocal reminder that it most definitely is. We owe it to the victims, the survivors, our kids, and each other to treat gun violence like the emergency it is.
As a parent and as an American, I can’t fathom the depth of pain those grieving in Uvalde are feeling. But too many can. The Black community in Buffalo. The Taiwanese community in Laguna Woods. And too many others with a hole in their heart. We must do better as a country.
Grateful to join Admiral Rachel Levine in expressing our sincere gratitude and support to the many health workers at Phoenix Indian Medical Center.
They spoke about their experiences with burnout over the past two years. Heartbreaking stories of trauma and pain. But they remain hopeful things will change.
And we must commit to making sure they do. That’s why I issued a Surgeon General’s Advisory on Health Worker Burnout—to call our nation to action.
Standing with @flotus today, I spoke about the horrific events in Uvalde, TX and our ongoing efforts to get formula back into the hands of families nationwide.
I’m horrified by today’s unspeakable tragedy. As a parent and as an American, my heart aches for the families of those who lost loved ones today. Moments likes this keep traumatizing our nation. We must must harness our sadness & rage to ensure no family goes through this again.
Join me in thanking Gina, a nurse from Benton, AR. She is known for her compassion and kindness and for always being there for others. She even has a happy dance she does with her patients to lift their spirits! Thank you, Gina for being the healer that you are. #RxforGraditude
I'm grateful to @vp Kamala Harris for joining me today at @childrensnational hospital to thank the staff for their heroic work and to announce my new Surgeon General’s Advisory on a growing threat to the nation’s health: health worker burnout.
Health workers nationwide have long grappled with systemic challenges that have driven burnout to record levels—from excessive workloads to physical/verbal abuse to poor access to mental health care.
@vp Harris and I heard from health workers in a range of positions how the last 2+ years of the pandemic only exacerbated those challenges.
Worsening health worker burnout means fewer people to provide routine primary care and emergency care. It means access to care and quality of care will suffer. We are already seeing evidence of this.
Today’s Surgeon General's Advisory lays out a series of recommendations to advance health worker well-being and address health worker burnout.
It’s time to show health workers that their physical and mental health and well-being are as important as those of the patients and communities in their care. We're grateful to @childrensnational for the steps they're taking to prioritize their staff's wellness.
Together, we can ensure our nation's health workforce is well cared for. I look forward to working with @vp Harris, @childrensnational, and health care orgs, insurers, policymakers, and others across the country as we prioritize supporting our nation's healers.
NEW: Today, I released a Surgeon General’s Advisory calling the nation to address a growing threat to our individual and collective health: health worker burnout. Health workers have long had our back—it’s time for us to have theirs.
Over the past 2+ years, health workers have been on the frontlines of the #COVID19 pandemic, where they not only saved lives, but in too many cases, sacrificed their own health and the health of their families as they served others.
The stakes are high. If not addressed, the health worker burnout crisis will make it harder for patients to get care when they need it, cause health costs to rise, hinder our ability to prepare for the next public health emergency, and worsen health disparities.
Burnout was a crisis before #COVID19, and the pandemic has made it worse. Health workers nationwide face chronic workplace stress and abuse and are experiencing alarming levels of burnout, anxiety, and depression.
My Surgeon General’s Advisory lays out recommendations for health care organizations, policymakers, health insurers, and others to address the systemic causes of health worker burnout and improve well-being. Learn more at surgeongeneral.gov/burnout.
We owe our health workers a debt of gratitude and action, which is why I encourage you to read the advisory and consider your role in supporting our nation’s healers. Safeguarding health worker well-being protects their health, our health, and our entire health care system.