Bill to Address Physician Well-being Heard in St. Paul

April 3, 2025

On April 1, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard a bill that would allocate state funds to the Treat Yourself First campaign to raise awareness about healthcare worker burnout and reduce stigma surrounding physicians getting mental health treatment.  

“Rates of burnout among healthcare workers have reached crisis level,” said Sen. Liz Boldon (DFL-Rochester) while presenting SF 831. “Survey results indicate that 20% of physicians say they are depressed, but only 15% of physicians have sought professional help, largely due to the stigma among healthcare workers about getting mental health treatment.”  

Boldon went on to argue the burnout crisis has serious healthcare workforce implications, saying that “if healthcare worker burnout isn't addressed, Minnesota won't have any healthcare workers left, especially in our rural and traditionally underserved communities.”  

Michelle Chestovich, MD, testified in favor of the bill, on behalf of the MMA. “Nearly six in 10 physicians have reported symptoms of burnout, including severe anger, tearfulness, or anxiety, at work,” Chestovich said. “One-third have felt hopeless that they have no purpose. And more than half know a physician who has considered, attempted, or died by suicide.” Chestovich experienced the loss of her sister, Gretchen Butler, MD, to suicide in 2021. Butler was a radiologist at Hennepin Healthcare.  

Michelle Chestovich, MD, testifies in support of SF 831, an MMA priority bill to address healthcare worker burnout.

SF 831 was laid over for future inclusion in an omnibus bill. The House companion, HF 1656 (Reyer, DFL – Eagan), has not received a committee hearing.  

The Treat Yourself First coalition includes the MMA, Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, Minnesota Academy of Physician Associates, Minnesota APRN Coalition, Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Minnesota Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, Minnesota Chapter of the American College of Physicians, Minnesota Dental Association, Minnesota Nurse Practitioners, Minnesota Nurses Association, Minnesota Pharmacists Association, and the Minnesota Psychiatric Society.  

To learn more, visit www.treatyourselffirst.org.