Academy Submits Joint Letter to Encourage Inclusion of Workforce Diversity Provisions in Upcoming Legislative Package

The Academy teamed up with the American Physical Therapy Association, the American Occupational Therapy Association, the American Association for Respiratory Care, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to respond to a request from the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for suggestions on proposals to support and expand workforce training programs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Academy is working with the aforementioned associations to secure the re-introduction of the Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act that would provide scholarship and stipend monies to students typically underrepresented in allied health professions, including audiology.

The joint letter states that “allied health professions will play a crucial role in the nation’s recovery effort, and we encourage you to include language in any future bipartisan workforce package to create a workforce program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to help promote diversity in the professions of audiology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, and speech-language pathology.”

The submitted joint letter is a recommendation for the inclusion of this same legislative language in any workforce training package under consideration.

Read the joint letter.