Funding Included for National Health Service Corps
Other Safety Net Programs Cut
May 23 – As an organization founded over 20 years ago by alumni of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) is pleased to see the Administration’s budget call for a two-year extension of funding for this important program. We especially appreciated the language recognizing that the NHSC “continues to be one of the Nation’s most effective programs in placing health care professionals in communities with the greatest need.” The NHSC helps fund over 10,000 medical professionals serving more than 10 million people today. Funding for the program is set to expire at the end of this fiscal year.
Unfortunately, the support for the NHSC does not negate the drastic cuts included throughout the budget proposal that would endanger the health of millions of vulnerable people across the country. ACU is committed to helping underserved communities address the challenges they face every day. This means supporting a wide range of programs that improve the health of our communities, including, but not limited to, the Medicaid program that enables millions of low-income individuals to have health insurance; health professions training programs that help to develop the clinical workforce; and a wide variety of nutrition and housing programs that ensure these critical, basic services are available to all. ACU has led the fight to strengthen and expand the NHSC, but this cannot be done in isolation or worse, at the expense of the safety net programs that help our vulnerable communities.
We recognize and appreciate the support this budget proposal offers to the National Health Service Corps, but it fails to recognize the importance of too many other valuable programs. Because of that, we will stand with all our patients, our communities, and our partner organizations in support of a federal budget that values the health of all Americans.
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The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved is a transdisciplinary membership organization of clinicians, advocates, and healthcare organizations that provide health care for the underserved. Our programs include professional education, clinical tools, advocacy, patient education, training and technical assistance. For more information, please visit our website at www.clinicians.org.
