- Star Grassroots Advocates
- PAEA’s Government Relations team conducted an advocacy training session with PA students at George Washington University on November 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 for helping to coordinate this session!
- Advancing PAEA’s Advocacy Agenda
- On November 14, PAEA along with other healthcare workforce stakeholders signed onto a letter urging House and Senate leadership to reauthorize and invest in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and the Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program before mandatory funding expires on December 31st.
- On November 18, PAEA and other members of the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC) submitted a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders and members of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittees. In addition to requesting the finalization of FY 2025 funding in December and a funding level of no less than the Senate Appropriations Committee-approved level of $892.8 million for the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII health professions and Title VIII nursing workforce programs, the letter also implores Congress to support increased investments for the Title VII and VIII programs and reject cuts to HRSA's Diversity Pathway and Medical Student Education programs.
- On November 25, PAEA sent a letter to the Trump transition team to foster collaborative efforts on PAEA policy priorities such as establishing a federal tax incentive for clinical preceptors in rural communities, reauthorizing mandatory funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) at a level of $790 million annually for five years, and reducing government regulations that negatively impact the operation of PA programs.
- Health Care News in Washington
- On November 19, President-elect Donald Trump named Linda McMahon to serve as the next secretary of the Department of Education. McMahon led the U.S. Small Business Administration during President-elect Trump’s first term and currently serves as co-chair of his transition team.
- On November 21, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced that it is accepting applications for the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program. SDS awards, one of the programs under Title VII of the Public Health Service Act that is available to PA programs, provides health professions schools with grants to allocate to educationally and economically disadvantaged students. For this funding cycle, HRSA will potentially award more than $50 million collectively to approximately 85 grantees for a period of five years from July 1, 2025-June 30, 2030.
- 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.
- To decrease disparities in access to care and ensure there are enough providers to meet patient demand nationwide, reach out to your elected representatives today to advocate for increased funding for all Title VII health workforce development programs for fiscal year 2025.
- If you are committed to improving PA education as well as access to care for vulnerable patients, contact your elected representatives in Congress and tell them to support the Rural Health Preceptor Tax Fairness Act.
- As we face the impending expiration of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) mandatory authorization, we need your help to fight for solutions that safeguard against growing workforce shortages. Please contact your representatives today to urge them to preserve the current NHSC pipeline and field strength through a robust mandatory funding level.
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