Public Comments / NIOSH Response

1B. Responses to Federal Register Notice

Comments expressing support

Comment from mulahmetovic, sara:

I believe that the social marketing campaign targeted at collecting data to support the mental health of healthcare workers is crucial and well needed. The proposed rule separates itself from most other surveys and data tools by targeting the issue at the organizational level. Although the mental health of these workers has been at a worry some level for years, the COVID19 pandemic has brought the issue to light and has gained the attention from people worldwide. The cause for concern is that burnout has occurring at high rates leading to decline in the employment of healthcare workers and moreover a shortage of staff to tend to those who are ill and injured. Emergency rooms are seeing higher wait times for patients because the bed to worker ratio is not at a reasonable rate.

As a pre med student, the direction ive received from current healthcare workers is to avoid med school. The claims of overworked staff and ignored needs of staff is the center of these directions. During COVID we see many mental breakdowns which some led to suicide of these workers because they were unheard and the organization they work for just continued to push those who were about to break. This campaign will be able to target the change where it is needed which is at the level of those who are creating the rules and creating the guidelines that these employees must follow. In a short and simple breakdown, a country will follow its leader , but an unhappy country will overthrow its leader.

Comment from lagodna, claire

By providing additional mental health resources for healthcare workers and those alike can aid in the reduction of burnout, fatigue, and being overwhelmed. Mental health has proven to be an issue especially during this pandemic, and thus persons must be provided with necessary tools to advocate for themselves to prevent any further personal mental health crisis.

Non-substantive Comment

Comment from publieee, jean

niosh/cdc have become health detroyers, not health helpers.they are a detriment to the health of the people of the usa. no medical agency that is so corrupt shoudl exist any longer. we need to shu tthem down and start fresh. they are corrupt and criminal in nature. focused on maknig money and not on heatlth for us citizens. we have all been raped,snookered, reamed by these federal agencies all in league to hurt our children with vaccines with no tests excetp 8 mice, and those who will approve any drug that comes along andput people out of work who havew worked for 20 years without a problem but put them out of work because they wonjt take an experimental gene therapy with crap in it to hurt you and bring on heart attacks. the whole thing is crazed. we have a us govt that is out of control. we need less central govt which is corrupt tot he core. the fakers in this agency told nurses and doctors to send sick people home instead of treating them at all and then bring them back to the hospital when they turn blue and can be put on ventilators, and then the patients cant see their lioved ones every and have to be kept to die alone. this is covid treatment. they turned a drug that had been used for 30years without trouble iinto horse treatment. they caused doctors and nurses who were trying to keep patients allive with drugs used successfully in other countries into losing their medical license because they used invermectin and hydroxy that kept people alive. they discarded naturalimmunity which many had.many fought off all effects of the covid. usa citizenry cant trust niosh anymore when it takes orders from fake fauci and his crew. niosh has been criminallyh compromised as well in trying to turn working people into people without jobs because they know what the nuremberg trials said about having rights about not to be experimental subjects. no american shoudl be forced to be an experimental subject like the nazis used. ameicans were forced into taking experimental gene therapy that have no doicumented rates of success but are a completel and total failure. this nisoh experiment is just ugly as can be. ugly as will be remembered. sad day in america. sad sas day in american.

Request for information

Good day,

As a healthcare practitioner working to keep other providers healthy and safe to practice, I read this proposal with keen interest.  It looks like, at this time, most of the funds are going into exploratory efforts to understand the scope of the problems and to gauge the efficacy of organizational/institutional interventions.

At this point, I have two questions: 1) are there any potential program funds to help identify and support specific healthcare workers struggling with workplace stress, burnout, or co-occurring mental health or substance use problems?, and 2) can I sign up for email/text updates about any movement related to Lorna Breen legislation?

Many thanks for your time and response.

Happy Halloween!

Jason Yates, LCSW, LCAS, CCS

Triad Area Field Coordinator

North Carolina Professionals Health Program

220 Horizon Dr., Suite 201 

Raleigh, NC 27615-4928

Ph: 919-870-4480  Fax: 919-870-4484   Cell: 336-991-1567  [email protected]   www.ncphp.org   

Hi Mr. Yates,

Thank you for submitting your comment and questions to our docket. In response to your first questions about any potential program funds to help identify and support specific healthcare workers struggling with workplace stress, burnout, or co-occurring mental health or substance use problems. CDC/NIOSH does not have funds available for the activity you describe, however these kind of individual service and support programs fall under the role of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). HRSA recently awarded $103 million to universities and other organizations to build health worker resilience through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. These grants are  similar to what you describe, particularly this training program grant. The American Rescue Plan Act funds are already disbursed, but HRSA posts all of their funding opportunities here: Find Grant Funding | HRSA

In regards to your question about updates related to Lorna Breen legislation, the Government and Accountability Office (GAO) is required by law to produce a report on progress by March 2026. In the meantime, the best way to follow NIOSH’s work on the campaign is to sign up for NIOSH eNews, our monthly email newsletter.

Thank you again for your interest in and comments on this important topic!

Christy

Christina Spring, M.A. (she/her/hers)

Associate Director for Communication and Research to Practice

CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

395 E Street, S.W. | Suite 9200 | Washington, DC 20201

p. 202-245-0633

[email protected]