The AAMC joined more than 50 national organizations of the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC) in a Feb. 23 letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committees leaders of the 115th Congress. As the new Congress completes negotiations on final fiscal year (FY) 2017 Labor-HHS-Education spending, which is operating under a continuing resolution until April 28, the letter urges appropriators to provide, at a minimum, FY 2016 funding levels for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII health professions and Title VIII nursing workforce development programs.
The HPNEC letter highlights the Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP), which both the House and Senate proposed eliminating in their respective spending bills. The letter notes that “HCOP is the only federal pipeline program for minority and disadvantaged students who want to become health professionals.” The letter continues, “It is crucial that we enhance the federal commitment to the programs that equip the next generation of health professionals to keep up with the increasing health care challenges of a changing population.”