Lawler Champions Caregivers with New Health and Wellness Legislation

Washington, D.C. - 3/12/26… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler introduced Dream's Caregiver Health and Wellness Act, legislation to establish a federal grant program to support the health, well-being, and retention of caregivers across the United States. Specifically, this legislation directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish a grant program for nonprofit organizations that provide programs and services to promote caregiver wellness.

This legislation is inspired by the life of Dream Ioni Shepherd and the extraordinary caregiving journey of her mother, Diana E. Lemon, a constituent from the Hudson Valley. Her daughter was born with life-threatening sickle cell disease and suffered a stroke at just five years old, beginning years of intensive treatments, transfusions, and hospitalizations. In a final effort to save her life, Diana donated her own stem cells so Dream could undergo a transplant.

After four months in the hospital, Dream was finally able to return home, but her recovery required 12 to 14 hours of daily IV infusions through a central line, a level of medical care that insurance companies initially refused to support with trained professionals.

Faced with the possibility that parents could be forced to manage life or death medical procedures alone, Diana began advocating for change. That fight led to the passage of Dream's Law in New York State, ensuring that patients discharged from the hospital with complex medical needs receive appropriate professional care at home.

Dream's Caregiver Health and Wellness Act builds on the legacy of Dream's Law by recognizing caregivers as essential partners in the health care system and investing in programs that provide restoration, mental health support, community connection, and practical resources. Inspired by Dream's courage and the love that sustained her family, this legislation seeks to ensure caregivers across the country are no longer asked to carry that responsibility alone.

These "Dream Grants" can be spent on caregiver supports such as:

• Meals

• Transportation to and from work

• Mental health services, including post-traumatic stress disorder services and supports

• Holistic wellness programs

• Other supportive services, as determined by the Secretary

Behind every patient navigating a medical crisis is a caregiver whose life has been fundamentally altered. Caregivers often place their careers, finances, emotional wellbeing, and personal lives on hold for years while supporting the survival and recovery of their loved ones.

"Caregivers play a critical role in supporting seniors, individuals with disabilities, and those living with chronic illnesses. Yet many face high levels of stress, burnout, and limited support resources. By investing in programs that promote caregiver wellness, this legislation strengthens the support networks caregivers rely on and ensures they have access to the resources they need to stay healthy. Supporting caregivers helps build a stronger, more compassionate care system for the families and communities that depend on them," said Congressman Lawler.

"This legislation is deeply personal to me as a mother and caregiver. For years, my world stood still while I cared for my daughter, Dream Shepherd. Like so many caregivers, I gave everything I had, often without the support systems that help people sustain themselves through that kind of love and responsibility. Today, Dream's legacy lives on as the Legacy Founder of the Ossining Community Garden of Dreams Legacy Center, where we are developing a Land-Based Recovery Model for Trauma grounded in community-rooted healing justice. Dream's Caregiver Health and Wellness Act reflects what I wish had existed during those years: spaces for restoration, mental health support, community care, and practical resources that recognize caregivers as human beings who also need to heal and be sustained while caring for those they love. This legislation recognizes what caregivers have always known: love may drive the work, but support is what sustains it," said Diana Lemon, Co-Founder & CEO of Ossining Community Garden of Dreams Legacy Center.

"Caregivers spend so much of their lives holding everyone else together that they rarely have space to hold themselves. At the Ossining Community Garden of Dreams Legacy Center, our work is grounded in a land-based approach that helps caregivers and families maintain balance within themselves even when they are stretched beyond their capacity. Through horticultural therapy and wellness practices, farm-to-table food experiences, plant medicine education, spiritual gardening, and creative storytelling through our Multi-Media Imaginarium, we support caregivers in restoring their nervous systems, reconnecting with community, and finding moments of grounding. Dream's Caregiver Health and Wellness Act recognizes something deeply human: caregivers should not have to disappear in order to care for the people they love,"said Lauren Green, Executive Director & Co-Founder of Ossining Community Garden of Dreams Legacy Center.

Full text of the bill can be found HERE.

Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.

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