"Assembly Member Ricardo Lara's (D-Bell Gardens) Assembly Joint Resolution 13 received bipartisan support in the Senate today with a 23-10 vote. AJR 13 urges the President and Congress to provide resources to increase the supply of physicians in California in order to improve access to care in underserved areas."
"Assembly Joint Resolution 13 by Assembly member Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) received bipartisan support in the Assembly today with a 55-6 vote. AJR13 urges the President and Congress of the United States to continue to provide resources to increase the supply of physicians in California in order to improve access to care in underserved areas."
"Assembly Bill 589, Helping Doctors Provide Care in Underserved Communities, was introduced and passed out of the Assembly Business and Professions Committee Tuesday morning by a vote of 6 to 2. AB 589 was introduced by Chair of the Revenue and Taxation committee, Assemblymember Henry T. Perea (D-Fresno) and would create a scholarship program to provide up to $105,000 for medical school students who agree to practice medicine in one of California’s designated "Medically Underserved Areas" upon graduation."
"To provide graduate medical education payments to support community-based training. Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education payments will cover the costs of new residency programs in community-based ambulatory primary care settings such as health centers. "
On August 6, 2009, Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) introduced the Rural Physician Pipeline Act of 2009.
"HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the availability of $200 million to support grants, loans, loan repayment, and scholarships to expand the training of health care professionals. The funds are expected to train approximately 8,000 students and credentialed health professionals by the end of fiscal year 2010. Today's funds are part of the $500 million allotted to HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to address workforce shortages under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)."
"Four Cabinet Secretaries hosted a rural health community forum today in St. John Parish, La., to share information about the federal government's efforts to rebuild and revitalize rural America."
The House recently introduced a bill that will give rural veterans better access health care and services, and is a companion bill to the Senate version introduced in March. The House version (H.R. 2879) was introduced by Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) and the Senate Version (S. 658) was introduced by Jon Tester (D-MT).
To read the House bill, click here.
To read the Senate bill, click here.
"HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the availability of nearly $200 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support student loan repayments for primary care medical, dental and mental health clinicians who want to work at National Health Service Corps (NHSC) sites. In exchange for the loan repayments, clinicians serve for two years with the Corps. The new funds are expected to double the number of Corps clinicians and make 3,300 awards to clinicians that serve in health centers, rural health clinics and other health care facilities that care for uninsured and underserved people. "
On June 16, Bruce Braley (D-IA) introduced H.R. 2891, the Access to Frontline Health Care Act of 2009. The bill will create a new loan repayment program, help place health care personnel in underserved areas, and allow flexibility for States to help bring health care providers to specific areas of need.
On May 21, 2009, Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) introduced the Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act of 2009.
On September 23, 2008, the House passed by a voice vote HR 2583. The bill would provide $44.2 million from FY 2010 to FY 2014 to provide loans to public and not-for-profit hospitals to create residency training programs for physicians. The bill specifies preference for training programs in family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine and hospitals in rural areas or small cities.
