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WASHINGTON -- The federal government will spend $103 million to try to reduce burnout among healthcare workers, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra announced Thursday.

"Make no mistake: healthcare workers have faced a very grim reality," Becerra said on a phone call with reporters. "They've had a very difficult holiday season because they had to go and work and be on the job. It is no joke to say that they are tired; as one healthcare worker summed it up recently: 'I am 27 years old and just praying I can get through every shift.'"

"We are awarding $103 million to strengthen long-term efforts to reduce burnout among our healthcare workforce and to promote mental health and wellness among all of our healthcare workers," he continued. "The funds, which come from the American Rescue Plan, will be disbursed to numerous organizations that oversee evidence-informed programs, practices, and training. The focus will be on providers who do service in underserved and rural communities."

Carole Johnson, the newly installed administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), explained that , and will be divided into three different buckets. "First, $28.6 million will be awarded to 10 grantees to help healthcare organizations establish and expand evidence-informed programs and practices to promote mental health and well-being among their healthcare employees."

Another $68.2 million "will be awarded to 34 grantees to plan and deliver evidence-informed training in order to reduce burnout and promote mental health and resiliency within the health professions," Johnson said. And finally, "we're awarding nearly $6 million to establish the Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Technical Assistance Center, which will provide training and technical assistance to today's awardees, but also share findings and best practices with the broader healthcare system."

Examples of the programs being funded include new resiliency trainers to support healthcare workers in addressing and responding to workplace stressors, establishing healthcare-system-wide programs that promote wellness-oriented work environments, and working "to overcome the stigma that can sometimes unfortunately be associated with healthcare providers accessing mental health care," said Johnson.

During a question-and-answer session, Johnson said that the grants weren't just focusing on individual healthcare workers. "That includes ... the healthcare workforce environment that they work in," she said. "Sometimes what can be wearing is if the workflow design isn't well done, or if they don't feel supported in their workforce environment, that frustration can add to workforce stress, so we want to make sure that we're creating good healthcare system environments."

Becerra emphasized that much of the burnout is caused by overwork, noting that one hospital official he spoke to "said that they are right now having to hire travel nurses in ways that they've never done before because they cannot find the adequate staffing within their ranks. Many [staff] have had to go out because of sick leave -- they have contracted COVID -- and many of these providers [are forced] to search for professional help from the hiring agencies. I think it cost him about $220 an hour for an ICU nurse. And this is a nurse who isn't permanently at the hospital, who may be new to the setting ... We need to figure out ways to let our workforce stand down and rest. And probably the best way to do that is to get more Americans vaccinated."

The administration has greatly improved vaccination rates, especially in minority communities, he added. "Back in May -- at that time I think 65% of white Americans had received at least one dose. But the numbers for Blacks and Latinos were 55% and 56%, respectively. Today, the latest numbers we have from last December, I believe it's about 81% of white Americans have received at least one dose, 80% of African Americans have now received at least one dose, and 83% of Latinos have received at least one dose."

MedPage Today asked Becerra what the administration's strategy was on persuading that last 20% of people to get vaccinated. "Part of it is the difficulty for some to access" the vaccine, he said. "Remember, there are a lot of folks who haven't had insurance in a long time or never, and just don't know how to access the system and are afraid to because they're not sure what the consequences will be for them. Immigrants sometimes are more afraid to come forward." Using trusted voices in the community, such as clergy or sports coaches, can be very effective at persuading people to come forward and get vaccinated, said Becerra.

However, he added, "where we have the most progress to make is with our young. We've done some surveys; we're finding that parents want to make sure that the vaccine is safe" and want to watch what happens with 5-to-11-year-olds who have taken it. "If it looks like it's going to be okay, if they're not seeing reports that anyone is getting really sick, then they probably will vaccinate their children."

Johnson said the administration has invested more than $300 million in "on the ground" vaccine outreach "to really have trusted members of the community help individuals get the information that they need ... to be able to make informed decisions about vaccination. That includes really investing in community outreach workers and community health workers and other social support specialists, so that there is a community presence, helping people understand and overcome some of the hesitancy."

Becerra concluded with an oft-repeated message from the administration. "We all have a responsibility to do our part. Get vaccinated. wear that mask, keep your distance, get tested -- do the things that will keep not just you but your loved ones and your community safe. We need to do that because we've got a healthcare workforce, while resilient, that is exhausted."

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