- Star Grassroots Advocates
- During PAEA’s most recent Title VII grassroots campaign, PA education advocates have made contact with over 100 congressional offices urging their representatives to work to protect Title VII funds in the upcoming fiscal year. Thank you for your efforts!
- Advancing PAEA’s Advocacy Agenda
- In May, PAEA President Lisa Mustone Alexander, EdD, MPH, PA-C, submitted testimony to the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations subcommittee for fiscal year 2019. This testimony mirrors the version submitted to the House Labor-HHS subcommittee in April and focused on structural barriers to a fully-empowered PA response to the opioid epidemic, including the clinical site shortage, limited funding for curricular innovation under Title VII, and insufficient resources to promote student diversity.
- The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee held its first hearing in nearly a decade on the reauthorization of Title VII of the Public Health Service Act on May 22. Prior to the hearing, PAEA submitted comments to the committee on PA education priorities in the reauthorization, including Primary Care Training and Enhancement grants, Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students, and funding for Area Health Education Centers.
- Health Care News in Washington
- On May 9, the House Energy and Commerce committee voted to advance a slate of opioid-related legislation to the full House of Representatives. Among a number of additional bills, the committee voted in favor of advancing H.R. 5102, the Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act. PAEA has strongly advocated on behalf of this legislation, which would authorize loan repayment of up to $250,000 over six years for a wide array of eligible providers, including PAs.
- In mid-May, the Trump administration submitted an $11 billion package of proposed rescissions – a method of cancelling previously-approved funds - to Congress. This package targeted funds allocated to various agencies with funds unobligated to current or previous initiatives and does not target funding previously appropriated to Title VII programs.
- Opportunities for Action
- The Government Relations team recently sent an action alert asking PAEA members to contact their representatives and tell them to protect and prioritize funding for Title VII health workforce programs in FY 2019. If you have not already done so, please take action to promote Title VII funding.
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