- Star Grassroots Advocates
- This year’s PAEA Student Health Policy Fellowship, hosted from September 11-13, marked the association’s tenth year of cultivating future leaders and advocates for PA education, patients, and the profession. Over the course of three days, the PAEA Government Relations team and 20 PA students from around the country gathered virtually to learn about advocacy and public policy, network, and champion PA education policy priorities. Thank you to all who volunteered their time and effort in making our tenth PAEA Student Health Policy Fellowship a true success!
- PAEA’s Government Relations team conducted an advocacy training session with PA students at George Washington University on September 20. During the training, students learned about the Association’s key policy priorities as well as opportunities to advocate on behalf of PA education and the profession. Special thanks to Tamara Ritsema, PhD, PA-C, MPH and Howard Straker, EdD, PA-C for helping to coordinate this session!
- Advancing PAEA’s Advocacy Agenda
- On September 10, the second installment of the three-part PA Education Policy 101 series was released. This installment provides an overview of federal programs designed to diversify both incoming student cohorts and faculty, as well as build pathways to the profession for students underrepresented in medicine.
- On September 21, the final installment of the PA Education Policy 101 series was published. This installment focuses on the array of federal and state programs that are available to help programs develop clinical sites and preceptors – many with the ultimate goal of influencing graduates’ practice choices.
- On September 26, PAEA responded to a request for information from the House Committee on Ways and Means for stakeholder feedback on strategies to address health care workforce shortages in rural and underserved communities. As part of the response, PAEA highlighted the differences in funding available for graduate medical education (GME) and entry-level training and the impact that reliance on discretionary spending has on PA programs. The response also included information on recent progress in terms of state-level tax incentives for clinical preceptors per the committee's jurisdiction. The full response can be read here.
- On September 28, in response to a hearing titled, “How SCOTUS’s Decision on Race-Based Admissions is Shaping University Policies,” PAEA submitted a statement for the record to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce’s Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development. The statement highlighted how the Supreme Court’s decision will negatively impact access to equitable care and urged the subcommittee to support efforts to break down barriers for students seeking careers in the health professions through continued and increased support for pipeline development programs, federal student aid, and resources for PA program development at institutions such as historically Black colleges universities.
- Health Care News in Washington
- On September 21, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee advanced the Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act, which includes a number of PAEA policy priorities, such as tripling the mandatory authorization for the National Health Service Corps from $310 million per year to $950 million from FY24-FY26 and extending Primary Care Training and Enhancement grant funding through FY26.
- On September 30, Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution (CR) that will fund federal agencies at current spending levels until November 17. This means that Congress has an additional 45 days to work towards another CR or find a long-term spending solution.
- Opportunities for Action
- It is critical that constituents advocate for strengthened health workforce investments to address provider shortages and their impact on the quality of care delivered to all communities. Please urge Congress to support increased funding for all Title VII health workforce development programs for FY24 today.
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