- Star Grassroots Advocates
- In April, the PA education advocacy community continued its efforts to make the impact of COVID-19 on programs, faculty, and students known to policymakers. The Government Relations team would like to thank the over 1,500 advocates who have contacted their elected representatives thus far on key priorities for Phase 4 legislation to respond to the pandemic.
- Advancing PAEA’s Advocacy Agenda
- On April 10, PAEA sent a letter to Senate Democratic leaders expressing appreciation for their efforts to establish a Heroes Fund to provide hazard pay to practicing providers in addition to recruitment incentives for clinicians in high-priority practice settings. PAEA urged the senators to consider expanding eligibility for recruitment incentives to students as deliberations over future stimulus legislation takes place.
- PAEA, in partnership with AAPA, met with representatives of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to discuss existing initiatives by both organizations to improve substance use disorder content delivered to students and continuing education opportunities for practicing PAs.
- Health Care News in Washington
- In late April, President Trump signed H.R. 266 - the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. This law builds upon previous investments in health system capacity to respond to COVID-19 by providing an additional $75 billion to hospitals and providers and $25 billion to accelerate COVID-19 testing.
- Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin and Representative Jan Schakowsky introduced the Health Heroes 2020 Act in April. This PAEA-endorsed legislation would make a one-time $25 billion investment in the National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayment programs and require that 40% of awards be used to support underrepresented minority students and clinicians.
- Opportunities for Action
- Last month, PAEA launched a grassroots campaign to advocate for additional emergency aid for students in future stimulus packages intended to respond to COVID-19. If you have not already done so, contact your representatives in support of PA students during this time of crisis.
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