Healthcare Professionals, Mental Health Advocates to Gather at Minnesota State Capitol on Eve of Third Annual “Physician Suicide Prevention Day”
Amid a growing mental health crisis, MN Mental Health Advocates hosts September 16, 2021 event to amplify voices of healthcare workers, honor those lost and impacted to physician suicide
Saint Paul, Minn., September 8, 2021 – Minnesota based organization, MN Mental Health Advocates announces “Heal Our Healers: Protecting the Mental Health of Our Healthcare Workers” – a September 16, 2021 event created to bring awareness to the increased risk of mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide for healthcare workers. The event will also connect Minnesota healthcare workers with local mental health resources tailored to their unique needs and obstacles to care.
Physicians face an increased risk of mental illness and suicide due to fear of impact to their licensure and career. Each year, several hundred physicians die by suicide in the US. This equates to nearly one million patients who lose their physician to suicide. Recent studies suggest that the rate of suicide in nurses may be even higher than their physician counterparts. In recent months, Minnesota has been devastated by the loss of several of our own physicians to suicide.
While our healthcare professionals have historically seen higher rates of mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide, the covid-19 pandemic has increased these rates. “We have been watching this steady rise in burnout in healthcare workers over the years, but this is different. Healthcare professionals are facing moral injury and feel abandoned by the agencies that govern them and the communities they serve,” said Shireen Sakizadeh McConnell, founder and Executive Director of MN Mental Health Advocates.
For more information on the September 16 event and mental health resources for healthcare workers, please visit mnmha.org.
About MN Mental Health Advocates
Healthcare professionals face an increased risk of mental illness, substance abuse and suicide. MNMHA works to break down barriers to access by providing free services and resources unique to the needs of healthcare workers. MNMHA also supports legislative efforts to the remove harmful language from licensure applications from state licensing boards and hospital credentialing, as this language deters healthcare professionals from accessing mental health services. For more information visit http://www.mnmha.org/.
