AHA urges Congress to address health care workforce shortages   

In a statement submitted to the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee for a subcommittee hearing today on recruiting, revitalizing and diversifying the health care workforce, AHA discussed the critical workforce shortages facing hospitals and health systems, detailed ways the field is supporting its workforce, and urged Congress to enact a number of policies to address this national emergency. These policies include lifting the cap on Medicare-funded physician residencies and boosting support for nursing schools, faculty, scholarships and loan forgiveness; expediting visas for highly trained foreign workers; and providing funding to help providers cover increased staffing costs and address behavioral health needs for workers. It also called for enacting the Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which would direct resources to prevent suicide and behavioral health disorders in the health care profession; and increased funding for federal programs to recruit and retain historically underrepresented populations into the health professions, among other actions.