**The full Subcommittee markup is available HERE**

**The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act is included in the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force’s 2021 Legislative Agenda**

Washington, D.C. — Today, during an Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee markup, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) spoke on behalf of legislation she cosponsored, H.R.1667, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. This bill, which Rep. Kuster introduced alongside Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), will support our health care workforce by creating grants to train health care providers on suicide prevention and other behavioral health issues through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“As founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, I am focused on advancing legislation to remove barriers in access to treatment, end the stigma around mental health, and support a stronger, more vital health care workforce,” said Rep. Kuster. “The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, included in the Task Force’s 2021 Legislative Agenda, will do just that by establishing grants to improve mental and behavioral health workforce training and prevent burnout among health care providers.”

In September of this year, Rep. Annie Kuster, along with her fellow co-chairs of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, released the Task Force’s 2021 Legislative Agenda, a comprehensive approach to address the dual addiction and mental health public health crises that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force merges Rep. David Trone’s Freshmen Working Group on Addiction and the Bipartisan Opioid Task Force, which was co-chaired by Reps. Annie Kuster and Brian Fitzpatrick in the 116th Congress and founded by Rep. Kuster in 2015. The purpose of the new Task Force is to build on those efforts to make the most progress possible on addiction and mental health in the 117th Congress.

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