HPNEC: Correspondence - December 18, 2002 Letter to House and Senate Leadership and Appropriations Cardinals



Home Members Working Group Testimony Correspondence Events Photo Galleries Funding by State	Correspondence Letter to House and Senate Leadership and Appropriations Cardinals December 18, 2002 The Honorable Denny Hastert Speaker U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Speaker: The undersigned members of the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC) urge you to restore funding for the Title VII and VIII health professions and nursing education programs as you negotiate the FY 2003 spending levels. HPNEC is an alliance of organizations representing a variety of schools, programs, providers, and community-based initiatives dedicated to educating health professions personnel. We are grateful for the continued support of appropriations committee members for these programs and recognize the tough decisions to be made in the coming weeks. It is crucial that the Title VII and VIII health professions programs continue to educate and train a quality health care workforce that meets the needs of the rapidly growing and aging American public. The incredible advances achieved through medical research and the outreach provided by community health centers will have little impact if there are no competently trained health professionals to deliver care. Severe cuts to the programs will not only prevent thousands of students from beginning their health professions education, but will also devastate the training infrastructure developed by health professions schools and health care facilities throughout the country. Over their 35-year existence, the Title VII and VIII programs have evolved to address the expanding pool of providers and the increasing diversity of our nation. The American people now face new, emerging health threats, and the public relies on health care workers to be prepared with the necessary skills. The health professions programs are an excellent support system for disseminating new health care information. It would be unwise and costly to decimate these programs at a time when the nation needs quality, well trained providers on the front line. Additionally, Title VII programs provide essential support in addressing the growing shortages of pediatric dentists, pharmacists, psychologists, medical laboratory personnel, allied health, public health and preventive medicine 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 proposed levels for the nursing programs, we remain concerned that additional funding for Title VIII is required to alleviate the nursing shortage crisis considering these programs are the major source of federal support for nurse training and education. A top priority for Americans is access to quality health care, and the health professions and nursing education programs are a critical element in providing this access. The members of HPNEC urge you to provide full funding for the Title VII and VIII health professions programs in the FY 2003 Labor-HHS-Ed appropriations bill. Thank you for your continued efforts to improve health care in this country. Sincerely, Administrators of Internal Medicine Ambulatory Pediatric Association American Academy of Family Physicians American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry American Academy of Pediatrics American Association of Colleges of Nursing American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy American Association of Community Colleges American Association of Physician Assistants 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 Pediatric Society American Physical Therapy Association American Psychological Association American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science American Society for Clinical Pathology 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 Subspecialty Professors 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. HIV Medicine Association National Area Health Education Center (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