HPNEC: Correspondence - February 8, 2002 HPNEC Press Release



Home Members Working Group Testimony Correspondence Events Photo Galleries Funding by State	Correspondence HPNEC Press Release on the President's Budget Contact: Nicole Henderson (202) 828-0041 nhenderson@aamc.org For Immediate Release: February 8, 2002 HEALTH CARE COALITION SAYS BUSH BUDGET CUTS WILL WORSEN THE WORKFORCE SHORTAGE FY 2003 Proposal Calls for 75% Reduction in Health Professions Programs Washington, D.C. - The Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC) said today that President Bush's proposed fiscal year 2003 budget cuts to Title VII and VIII health professions programs will intensify the national shortage of health care workers. The President's budget calls for a 75 percent cut to these programs that educate and train the providers of health care in rural and underserved areas. The Bush administration allocates just $94.5 million for fiscal year 2003, eliminating many of the programs. Titles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act are designed to increase access to health care in underserved areas by improving the quality, geographic distribution, and racial and ethnic diversity of the health care workforce. HPNEC is recommending that these programs need at least $550 million to fulfill this mission. Although the Bush budget proposal includes a plan to expand the nation's network of community-based health centers to meet the health care needs of the uninsured and underinsured, it essentially eliminates the funds needed to train the health care workers who often staff these clinics. HPNEC is puzzled that the Administration's response to the ongoing primary care health professions shortage is elimination of the programs intended to address this shortage. These essential programs help address the national shortage of health professionals by training workers in all aspects of primary care across the lifespan. President Bush's cuts to health professions programs: The diversity training programs are eliminated, other than Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students receiving $10 million, a decrease of $36 million (78 percent) below last year's level. These programs are designed to increase minority representation in the health professions workforce. The primary care medicine and dentistry programs, designed to ensure that there are sufficient primary care providers in rural and other underserved areas, are eliminated. The interdisciplinary programs, which provide quality care and training in rural and underserved communities, are also eliminated in the President's budget. Area Health Education Centers, Health Education and Training Centers, Geriatric Health Professions Programs, the Quentin Burdick Rural Training Program, and Allied Health Grants exemplify the health professions programs' emphasis on interdisciplinary training that sets them apart from other federally supported health education programs. Public health workforce programs, including public health traineeships, preventive medicine residencies, dental public health, and health administration traineeships, are also eliminated. The nurse training and education programs, which are crucial to alleviating the severe nursing shortage, receive a slight increase in the president's budget of $1 million. # # # HPNEC is an informal alliance of over 40 organizations representing a variety of schools, programs and individuals dedicated to educating health care professionals.