#SavetheNHSC

Save the National Health Service Corps!

What Is the National Health Service Corps?

Since its inception in 1972, the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) has worked to build healthy communities by placing healthcare providers in medically underserved areas of every state and territory of the United States. The NHSC emerged to address access gaps in the United States’ healthcare system that leave many medically stranded, unable to access the care they need. Collectively, more than 74 million people reside in primary care health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). The NHSC aims to help these very populations by offering scholarships and loan repayments for providers who agree to serve in HPSA areas, including urban, rural, frontier, and low-income communities. Today, nearly 19 million people rely on more than 18,000 NHSC clinicians for a range of clinical services, especially in primary care.

What Can I Do?

The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved leads the effort to preserve and expand funding for this vital program. We need your help: Become an ACU Advocate today to help #SavetheNHSC! Also, don’t forget to share our resources and calls to action using the hashtag #SavetheNHSC on your social media, and tag us on FacebookLinkedIn, and Twitter.

Latest Updates

View our latest calls to action, policy analyses, and recaps of recent developments impacting our shared work to #SavetheNHSC.

Tentative Funding Deal Reached to Avoid Shutdown: ACU Applauds Increase in NHSC Funding

On Sunday, March 3, Congress released legislative text for a six-bill, $435 billion package. The tentative plan is for the House to hold a vote on Wednesday on this minibus [...]

President Biden Signs Fourth Continuing Resolution of FY24

Flat Funding for the National Health Service Corps in Fiscal Year 2024 Will Mean 2,000 Fewer Clinicians Providing Care in Medically Underserved Communities On March 1, President Biden signed the [...]

Press Briefing Emphasizes Need for Long-Term, Sustainable CHC, NHSC, and Teaching Health Center Funding

On Tuesday, February 20, the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved joined our partners at Advocates for Community Health (ACH) and the American Association of Teaching Health Centers (AATHC) for [...]

Share Your NHSC Impact Story With Us!

Help us emphasize to Congress the impact of the NHSC on the lives of individuals and families living in medically underserved communities. Please share with us how important the NHSC is to your and/or your health center and the implications of funding cuts from a full-year CR by emailing us.

The NHSC: Catalyst for a Long-Term Career of Caring for the Underserved

The National Health Service Corps program assisted me in my medical school education at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, MO. I [...]

NHSC and Me: Finding Purpose in the National Health Service Corps

A colorful mural greets patients outside San Ysidro Health's flagship clinic where the residents see patients in San Ysidro, CA. The clinic is two trolley stops from the boarder crossing [...]

Key Resources

Read our introductory fact sheet on the National Health Service Corps and review our policy ask below, and stay tuned for a #SavetheNHSC social media toolkit to help spread the word!

Key Facts

Making Care Accessible for Under-Resourced Populations

The NHSC supports more than 20,000 primary care medical, dental, and behavioral health providers through scholarships and loan repayment programs. Representing a diverse cross-section of disciplines and services, NHSC providers serve at more than 9,000 community healthcare sites providing vital care to more than 21 million patients regardless of their ability to pay.

Driving Diversity in the Clinical Workforce

NHSC providers represent a diverse group of clinicians. 33% of the nation’s total population identifies as Black or Hispanic/Latine. This same population only represents 11% of physicians in the U.S. However, roughly 25% of physicians serving through the NHSC identify as Black or Hispanic/Latine, a key indication that the NHSC is successfully driving clinician diversity.

Field Strength by Profession

  • Dentists
  • RDHs
  • CNMs
  • Health Service Psychologists
  • LCSWs
  • Licensed Professional Counselors
  • Marriage and Family Therapists
  • Nurse Practictioners
  • Pharmacists
  • Physicians
  • Physician Assistants
  • Registered Nurses
  • Substance Use Disorder Counselors
  • Other

Diversity of Providers

  • Caucasian
  • Black
  • Latina/o/e
  • American Indian and Alaska Native
  • Asian or Pacific Islander

NHSC Reflections from ACU’s Community

Jordan Marshall, Deputy Director of Policy & AdvocacyQuestions or Comments

Do you have questions about the NHSC or how to better advocate for the program? Contact Jordan Marshall, ACU’s Deputy Director of Policy and Advocacy, with any questions or comments, as well as technical assistance on NHSC advocacy.