Tim Kaine: “Lorna Breen was a talented and dynamic physician who served as the medical director of the emergency department at New…”

“Lorna Breen was a talented and dynamic physician who served as the medical director of the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital. Lorna was from Charlottesville, VA, and very devoted to her family there. She attended Cornell University and then the Medical College of Virginia. She was deeply religious, an avid skier, a volunteer with senior citizens, a salsa dancer, and a musician. Mostly, Lorna Breen was a beloved, compassionate, and demanding doctor. A colleague said of her: ``She had something that was a little bit different and that was this optimism that her persistent effort will save lives.'' Dr. Breen suffered from something very common among health professionals--the deep stress of dealing with patients day in and day out--helping them, worrying about them, celebrating with them, praying for them, and mourning for them. Healthcare professionals routinely experience high levels of stress. As many as 45 to 55 percent of this critical workforce suffers from burnout. Physicians have the highest rate of death by suicide of any profession in this country, with a suicide rate more than twice that of the general population. That was the case before COVID-19. In November 2019, Dr.…”