Noah Wyle to Nurses: “You Deserve to Be Seen and Heard”—Actor Brings Nurse Advocacy to DC
Image source: CBS News
Nurses, your stories are being heard in the halls of Congress—and one of the loudest voices amplifying your message is Noah Wyle, star of HBO Max’s The Pitt and son of a nurse.
Last week, Wyle traded his scrubs for a suit, joining his mother and a coalition of frontline healthcare workers (FIGS Ambassadors) on Capitol Hill to fight for the changes nurses have long demanded: real mental health support, fair compensation, and safer workplaces.
“This Is Not Just a Workforce Problem. This Is a Patient Care Problem.”
Wyle, who has played doctors on TV for over 15 years, knows firsthand from his mother’s four-decade nursing career what nurses endure. “A lot of these people have been in these tours of duty nonstop for five years without a break,” Wyle told CBS News, describing the relentless pace and mounting burnout since the pandemic. He and his mother, Marjorie Wyle-Katz, stood side-by-side with nurses and other health professionals to demand action on three urgent issues:
- Reauthorize and Fund the Lorna Breen Act: “One is to pass and fund the Lorna Breen Act … it is geared towards making evidence-based mental health resources available to frontline workers,” Wyle explained.
- Tax Credit for Frontline Workers: “A second bill would offer a tax credit to frontline workers, where there hasn’t been one before to offset some of the pay disparity,” he said.
- Cut Administrative Burdens: The third bill “would relieve the administrative burden put on health care workers,” freeing up time for direct patient care.
"These aren’t partisan issues. They’re practical ones. And they’re urgent. Because when our health care professionals are burned out, buried in paperwork or forced to leave the field altogether, we all pay the price," Wyle wrote in a recent USA Today op-ed, titled: "I play a doctor on 'The Pitt.' Real health care workers need our help."
Nurses’ Stories at the Center
Marjorie Wyle-Katz spoke candidly about the reality nurses face: "Nurses can’t bill for their time and their skills. Whenever there’s a budget cut, the nurses are the first to go." The Commission for Nursing Reimbursement launched two years ago to tackle this very problem: reimbursing nursing care. It’s great to see The Commission has new allies with Wyle and his mom.
Marjorie Wyle-Katz also highlighted the safety risks: "When patients come to the hospital, they’re either injured or sick, and they’re very afraid. They’re not seen often in a timely manner, which leads to frustration, which escalates to anger."
“A Love Letter to Frontline Workers”
Wyle created The Pitt as "a love letter to frontline workers, health care workers, to let them feel very seen and heard right now," he said. He wanted to show the real toll of working in healthcare post-COVID, something he felt was missing from TV since his days on ER: "'ER' was a wonderful depiction of health care in America pre-COVID, but there hadn’t really been a show that was addressing what was happening post-COVID yet."
The Fight Isn’t Over—And Nurses Are Leading
Despite bipartisan support, Wyle and his fellow advocates acknowledged that momentum is stalled amid calls for federal budget cuts. But Wyle’s message to Congress—and to nurses—is clear: "Our message is simple: Without a supported, protected and fairly treated workforce, there is no patient care. Whatever other important issues are being debated, this has to be a priority."
Nurses, your advocacy and your stories are making a difference. As Wyle and his mother reminded lawmakers, "This is not just a workforce problem, this is a patient care problem. The trickle down of these things not being enacted will affect all of us eventually."
Stay engaged, stay vocal, and know that your work—and your well-being—are finally getting the national attention they deserve.
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