Washington, D.C. – With a federal shutdown now in effect, the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) urges Congress to immediately restore government funding and reauthorize core health workforce programs that safeguard care in the nation’s highest-need communities.
Specifically, we are concerned about mandatory funding authorizations that expired on September 30, including:
- National Health Service Corps (NHSC): Scholarships and loan repayment awards will be in jeopardy, leaving thousands of qualified applicants unfunded and undermining staffing at more than 7,800 community health care sites.
- Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME): Nearly 1,200 residents who deliver over one million annual patient visits could have their training and placement disrupted.
- Community Health Centers (CHCs): Health centers serving over 30 million patients annually would lose critical resources, forcing potential service disruptions and reductions.
- Title VII and Title VIII Workforce Development Programs: HRSA programs that support rural workforce development, primary care access, interdisciplinary care and community-based partnerships, nursing, and public health are at risk.
A shutdown may also trigger federal agency contingency plans that would delay awards, payments, and program operations, risk service reductions or closures, and worsen workforce shortages as uncertainty discourages clinicians from committing to underserved areas.
“On top of significant policy changes looming, clinicians are now being forced to reconcile with a federal shutdown disrupting operations and leaving us in limbo,” said ACU Chief Executive Officer Amanda Pears Kelly. “Lawmakers have repeatedly reauthorized critical public health extenders, including the NHSC, Nurse Corps, THCGME, and CHC funding, because they help place clinicians in communities where the need is greatest. Restore funding and let clinicians do their jobs – a shutdown shouldn’t shut out patients.”
NHSC and Core Workforce Programs Are Proven Solutions
Recent data projects a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, hitting rural and underserved areas hardest — exactly where NHSC clinicians, THCGME graduates, and Title VIII nurses serve.
- The NHSC has placed more than 80,000 clinicians since 1972, with 86% staying in shortage areas and more than half serving CHCs.
- The THCGME program, the only federal initiative that trains physicians in community-based settings, sees 82% of graduates going into primary care and 55% practicing in underserved communities.
- Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs support more than 2,400 nurses and educators serving in shortage areas, including nearly 500 rural sites.
Together, these programs represent proven solutions to the nation’s workforce shortage. Allowing their funding to lapse would threaten decades of progress and deepen an already severe health care workforce shortage.
ACU calls on Congress to reopen the government and renew health workforce programs. Access to care in underserved communities cannot be collateral damage.
About ACU
The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) is a uniquely transdisciplinary membership organization striving to establish a robust, multifaceted workforce to help transform communities to increase access to quality health care for all. Founded in 1996 by participants in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), ACU is the foremost advocate for the NHSC and leads advocacy, clinical, operational, and other areas of excellence, and supports the health care workforce caring for America’s under-resourced populations. To learn more about ACU, visit www.clinicians.org.
