HPNEC: Correspondence - August 27, 2002 Letter to Senate Appropriations Committee



Home Members Working Group Testimony Correspondence Events Photo Galleries Funding by State	Correspondence Letter to Senate Appropriations Committee August 27, 2002 The Honorable Tom Harkin Chairman Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Mr. Chairman: The undersigned organizations and institutions of the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC) deeply appreciate your continued commitment and unwavering support for Public Health Service programs, as most recently evidenced by the Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education reported by your subcommittee. We are writing to urge increased funding levels in the bill for Title VII and VIII health professions training programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The Senate appropriations committee bill provides $160 million for Title VII health professions training. Although this is $149 million more than the amount requested in the President's budget, it is still $135 million less than the FY 2002 level. This is disappointing given the support expressed in the committee report that the "Title VII programs are valuable mechanisms for educating health professionals and for encouraging the delivery of care to the underserved in rural and underserved areas." In addition, the Senate budget committee endorsed the restoration of funding for these programs, citing concern about "current shortages and the geographic maldistribution of health professionals in the nation." Title VII programs provide essential support in addressing the growing shortages of pediatric dentists, pharmacists, medical laboratory personnel, allied health and public health professionals in areas throughout the country where vacancy rates of some professions have climbed as high as 40 percent. Also, while we are grateful for the focus on the nursing shortage, we remain concerned that additional funding for Title VIII is required to alleviate the crisis considering these programs are the major source of federal support for nurse training and education. We recognize the fiscal challenges and competing priorities for funding facing the subcommittee. However, given the administration's lack of support for these programs and the 302(b) allocation constraints placed on the House Labor-HHS bill, we believe that the House may not be able to fully restore funding for these important programs. Therefore, it is imperative that the Senate take the lead on fully restoring Title VII health and strengthening Title VIII nurse education funding professions in the Senate bill (S. 2766). We believe that this course of action will ensure the best eventual outcome for Title VII and VIII health professions training programs in the final FY 2003 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill. Again, we deeply appreciate your continued support for all Public Health Service programs and look forward to working with you to achieve the shared goal of fully restoring the health professions training programs. Visit the HPNEC Web site for more information on these programs: <www.aamc.org/advocacy/hpnec>. Please contact Erica Froyd, HPNEC Coordinator, at <efroyd@aamc.org> or 202-828-0558, to further discuss the importance of full funding for these programs. Sincerely, Ambulatory Pediatric Association American Academy of Family Physicians American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry American Academy of Pediatrics American Academy of Physician Assistants American Association of Colleges of Nursing American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy American Association of Nurse Anesthetists American College of Nurse-Midwives American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine American College of Preventive Medicine American Dental Association American Dental Education Association American Dental Hygienists' Association American Geriatrics Society American Nurses Association American Occupational Therapy Association American Physical Therapy Association American Pediatric Society American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science American Society for Clinical Pathology Association of Academic Health Centers Association of American Medical Colleges Association of Departments of Family Medicine Association of Family Practice Residency Directors Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs Association of Minority Health Professions Schools Association of Professors of Medicine Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions Association of Schools of Public Health Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine Association of University Programs in Health Administration Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools, Inc. NAADAC - The Association for Addiction Professionals National Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Organization National Association of Geriatric Education Centers National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems National Hispanic Medical Association National Rural Health Association North American Primary Care Research Group Society for Pediatric Research Society of General Internal Medicine Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Tuskegee University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health University of Kansas School of Medicine Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Schools of Medicine and Dentistry Xavier University of Louisiana, College of Pharmacy