Advocacy on HRSA Workforce Programs Ramps Up

  • by AGD Washington Advocacy Representative
  • Jun 7, 2024
On May 7, 2024, House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ-6) wrote a letter to HRSA, urging the agency to increase its per resident allocation (PRA) for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program by $10,000 for the next academic year beginning on July 1, 2024. The THCGME program trains dentists and physicians in community-based settings, including federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural health clinics (RHCs), with a specific focus in rural and underserved communities. The letter references a 2022 HRSA-commissioned study which found that the current PRA of $160,000 is $50,000 less than the national median for “true training costs,” leaving FQHCs and RHCs responsible for covering the remaining training costs. Ranking Member Pallone urged HRSA to increase PRA allocations using funding from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, and unobligated funds from previous years. Pallone argues that this increase in funding will help sustain the THCGME program, promoting adequate access to dentists and physicians in rural and underserved areas.

Additionally, on May 24, 2024, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to HRSA urging changes to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) application process. The letter notes that the application cycle only occurs in the spring and, as a result, dentists and physicians who graduate in late May or June are often unable to apply. The Senators urge HRSA to change the application by making it a rolling admissions process or allowing for multiple application cycles per year. The Senators argue that these changes could make the NHSC more accessible and attractive to potential applicants.

Impact on General Dentistry: HRSA-funded programs, including THCGME and the NHSC, are important to promoting access to oral health care in rural and underserved areas that face dental practice shortages. AGD will continue advocating for policy solutions that improve access to dental care, especially in rural and underserved communities, and alleviate the dental workforce shortage.