By now, Dr. Lorna Breen’s story has become a rallying tale for despondent and burned-out physicians being pushed past the edge during the pandemic. After the New York emergency room physician who treated COVID-19 patients committed suicide, her family and colleagues are hoping her story will lead to new legislation that aims to prevent suicide and burnout.

An op/ed in the Anchorage Daily News published in August says Dr. Breen’s death should be a wake-up call to how physician mental health issues are only exacerbating the physician shortage in the U.S.

In her article, Dr. Megan K. LeMasters Soule, a family medicine doctor in Anchorage, cites physician retraining programs to address the shortage and hopes that federal legislation will help