On May 23, the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, MD issued an advisory addressing the alarming rate of burnout among health care workers. According to the report, burnout and mental health concerns are prominent throughout the health care industry and play a role in the health care workforce shortage throughout the nation.

It is projected that the U.S. will experience a shortage of more than 3 million low-wage health care workers in the next five years and a shortage of up to 139,000 physicians by 2033, according to the release. The Surgeon General's advisory calls for a collaborative approach across public and private stakeholders and community partners to address the root causes of burnout among healthcare workers. This includes:

• Protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all healthcare workers
• Eliminating punitive policies for seeking mental health and substance use care
• Reducing administrative and other workplace burdens on healthcare workers
• Transforming organizational cultures to prioritize and value health workers
• Recognizing social connection and community as a core value of the healthcare system
• Investing in public health and the public health workforce