AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, issued the following statement on House and Senate passage of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020 (H.R. 6074):
“The AAMC applauds lawmakers for quickly drafting and passing an emergency supplemental funding package that will support the nation’s efforts to combat the novel coronavirus. The bill’s investments in vaccine and medical countermeasure research and development, medical surge capacity, support for state and local preparedness and response, and allowances for the use of telehealth will be important tools to help safeguard the public’s health in the face of this new threat.
The physicians and other health professionals at the nation’s medical schools and teaching hospitals—in partnership with public health officials and emergency medical personnel—are a critical part of our nation’s network of first responders. As our understanding of and response to the novel coronavirus continues to evolve, it will be important to fully support the public health and health care communities in preventing, identifying, or treating coronavirus disease.
These funds will greatly assist our nation in facilitating an effective response. We will monitor these activities, and we stand ready to continue working with both Congress and the administration to ensure ongoing support for patients and providers grappling with this threat.”
The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association dedicated to transforming health care through innovative medical education, cutting-edge patient care, and groundbreaking medical research. Its members comprise all 155 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 51 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and more than 80 academic societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC serves the leaders of America’s medical schools and teaching hospitals and their 173,000 faculty members, 89,000 medical students, 129,000 resident physicians, and more than 60,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the biomedical sciences. Additional information about the AAMC and its member medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org.