Noah Wyle is heading to the pit of political power, with a visit to Capitol Hill to push for funding for programs aimed at improving mental health services for health care workers.
“The Pitt” and former “ER” star will touch down in Washington on Thursday to lead a panel discussion at the Cannon House Office Building focused on the “daily mental health, financial, and bureaucratic challenges for doctors and nurses today.”
Wyle will be joined by his mom, Marjorie Speer, a retired nurse, along with more than a dozen health care professionals.
The 54-year-old actor, who’s coming to the nation’s capital with the health care apparel company and advocacy group FIGS, will press lawmakers to reauthorize the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. Proponents of the bipartisan legislation say it would help support the mental health of frontline health care providers through federal programs and training and would reduce the risk of suicide and burnout.
“These aren’t partisan issues. They’re practical ones. And they’re urgent. Because when our health care professionals are burned out, buried in paperwork or forced to leave the field altogether, we all pay the price,” Wyle wrote in a USA Today op-ed on Tuesday.
“Our message is simple: Without a supported, protected and fairly treated workforce, there is no patient care. Whatever other important issues are being debated, this has to be a priority,” he said.
