Academy and Stakeholders Urge Senate to Address Shortage of Minority Health-Care Professionals

The Academy and other allied health associations submitted a letter to the Senate Committee on Health Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) in advance of a hearing centered on ways to address the severe shortage of minority health-care professionals.

The joint letter urges the committee to fund and bolster the Allied Health Workforce Diversity (AHWD) Program. This program, enacted into law in late 2022 as part of the PREVENT Pandemics Act and included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, aims to provide educational opportunities to minority students who are currently underrepresented in audiology, respiratory care, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology.

Although Congress authorized the AHWD Program, the appropriations have been approved for it to become operational. To address this issue and provide additional support to the health-care workforce, Senator Casey (D-PA) introduced the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act (S. 4120), which includes five-year funding for the AHWD Program at $10 million per year.