- Star Grassroots Advocates
- On May 6, PAEA held a virtual congressional briefing entitled, “Building a Healthy Future: Why Federal Student Aid is Critical to Growing the Health Care Workforce.” This event featured PA faculty and student panelists who provided an overview of the system of student loan and loan repayment options that support health professions education and steps policymakers can take to protect this vital source of support for the future health workforce. Special thanks to the following speakers for illustrating the importance of these federal resources before members of Congress and their staff:
- Nicole Burwell, PhD, MSHS, PA-C, who is President of the PA Education Association and the Department Chair and Program Director of the North Carolina A&T State University PA program.
- Frank Giannelli, PhD, PA-C, who is an Assistant Professor for the Rutgers University PA program and a former National Health Service Corps scholar.
- Edward Williams, DMSc, M.Ed, PA-C, who is the Department Chair and Program Director of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences PA program and Chair of PAEA's Government Relations Steering Committee.
- Phuc Gin who is a student at the Rosalind Franklin University PA program and a PAEA Student Health Policy Fellow.
- On May 6, PAEA held a virtual congressional briefing entitled, “Building a Healthy Future: Why Federal Student Aid is Critical to Growing the Health Care Workforce.” This event featured PA faculty and student panelists who provided an overview of the system of student loan and loan repayment options that support health professions education and steps policymakers can take to protect this vital source of support for the future health workforce. Special thanks to the following speakers for illustrating the importance of these federal resources before members of Congress and their staff:
- Advancing PAEA’s Advocacy Agenda
- On May 2, PAEA submitted a statement for the record to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in response to a hearing entitled, “What Can Congress Do to Address the Severe Shortage of Minority Health Care Professionals and the Maternal Health Crisis?” As part of the statement, PAEA expressed support for the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act and the Perinatal Workforce Act in addition to increased funding for Title VII programs such as the Health Careers Opportunity Program and Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students.
- On May 6, PAEA along with nearly 700 other stakeholders signed onto a letter urging lead House and Senate appropriators to increase the FY 2025 allocation for the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee.
- At the beginning of the month, PAEA submitted testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies to request a total of $1.51 billion in FY25 for the Title VII health professions and Title VIII nursing workforce development programs administered by HRSA in alignment with the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC).
- On May 14, PAEA joined over 100 organizations in submitting a letter to Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Sen. Shelly Moore Capito requesting that the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies fully fund the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program and provide $50 million to launch the Bio-Preparedness Workforce Pilot Program at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of the FY 2025 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill.
- Health Care News in Washington
- On May 15, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing titled, "Examining the Policies and Procedures of the Department of Health and Human Services." During the hearing, HHS Secretary Becerra discussed how the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget invests in growing and diversifying the behavioral health workforce and expands key HRSA programs by providing $916 million for the National Health Service Corps as one example. This will help to increase workforce capacity across the country, including for behavioral health. Becerra also reiterated the Administration’s commitment to addressing the U.S. maternal mortality rate and advancing maternal health equity.
- On May 21, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the approval of $7.7 billion in additional student loan debt relief for 160,500 borrowers. These discharges are for three categories of borrowers: those receiving Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF); those who signed up for President Biden’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan and who are eligible for its shortened time-to-forgiveness benefit; and those receiving forgiveness on income-driven repayment (IDR) as a result of fixes made by the Administration.
- Opportunities for Action
- Your voice matters in advocating for legislation that will positively impact the future of PA education and address healthcare disparities in underserved communities. Please contact your elected officials in Congress and urge them to support the Primary Care Team Education Centers Act.
- PAEA is now accepting applications for the 2024 Student Health Policy Fellowship. If you are interested in developing leadership and advocacy skills to ensure that PA education is represented at the local, state, and national level, apply by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 9. If you would like to learn more, visit PAEA’s Student Health Policy Fellowship page.
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