December 12, 2024

ACU Statement on Health Heroes 2020 Act

ACU Statement on Senator Durbin and Representative Schakowsky Health Heroes 2020 Act (Washington DC, April 24, 2020) -- Today, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Representative Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) proposed a new plan to increase the nation’s health care workforce and address the overwhelming need of millions of people living in communities with severe workforce shortages. Senator Durbin and Representative Schakowsky’s proposal includes emergency surge funding to place health care … [Read more...]

Journal: NHSC Satisfaction Article Published

The August issue of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved includes a article by a team led by Dr. Donald E. Pathman with the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, reporting on the results of their work assessing the satisfaction of participants of the National Health Service Corps program. The assessment concluded that 94% reported the NHSC experience met or exceeded their expectations, and the same number would … [Read more...]

ACU Member Testifies Before Senate HELP Committee

(from left to right) Thomas Trumpeter, CEO and President of HealthPoint in Renton, Washington, Dr. Andrea Anderson, Director of Family Medicine at Unity Health Care, Inc. in Washington, DC, and Dr. John Waits, Chief Executive Officer of Cahaba Medical Care in Centreville, Alabama. Last year funding for programs such as the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) were temporarily unavailable because the two year extension expired without a resolution. To ensure that we do not have that same … [Read more...]

Clinton Proposes “Near Tripling” of NHSC

On Saturday, Secretary Hillary Clinton announced additional details of her health care proposals, including a call to “nearly triple” the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) program. The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU), founded by NHSC alumni in 1996, has been urging policy-makers to strengthen and expand the program to address the shortages that exist across the country. Secretary Clinton also called for investments in the Health Centers program and reforms in the insurance … [Read more...]

Statement on President’s FY17 Budget

With the release of President Obama’s FY2017 Budget Proposal, the Administration has once again shown its strong and on-going support for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) program. “We applaud the President’s strong and consistent support for this effective program,” said Craig A. Kennedy MPH, ACU’s Executive Director. “The President’s proposal will enable millions of people to get the primary care they need, and do so in a cost-effective manner. In addition, the President has proposed … [Read more...]

Senate Bill Would Expand NHSC to Jails

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced legislation expanding the eligible placement sites for the National Health Service Corps to include county and municipal jails. To date, only state and federal prisons were eligible for NHSC placements. The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved has supported the legislation, recognizing the critical need for primary care providers in these facilities. To read more about the legislation, see Sen. Durbin's full press release. … [Read more...]

ACU Endorses H.R. 2

The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved offered its official endorsement of H.R. 2 - the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015. In addition to the permanent fix for the payment program for physicians, the package includes a two-year extension of funding for several critical programs, including the National Health Services Corps, the Community Health Centers program and the Teaching Health Centers program. To read the full endorsement, click here.   … [Read more...]

NHSC Funding Included in SGR Package

Congress is considering legislation that would avert a funding cliff for providers within the Medicare program, commonly referred to as the “doc-fix” bill. In a change from previous years, Congress is on the verge of a permanent fix for the issue and will be considering the package this week. In addition to the permanent fix for the Medicare payment issue, Congress has also included several critical provisions that extend funding for other programs facing funding cliffs, including the National … [Read more...]

President Reconfirms Strong Support for NHSC in FY16 Budget

Proposes Field Strength of 15,000 for the Program McLean, VA – The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) expressed its strong appreciated for the President’s FY2016 Budget Request for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) program today. The President’s Budget would expand the program to include 15,000 primary care providers in underserved communities across the country – the current field strength is roughly 8,500 providers. The NHSC program provides loan repayment and … [Read more...]

Celebrating Corps Community Day October 9th

Join the NHSC in Celebrating Corps Community Day October 9th --- The NHSC brings health care professionals to the areas where they are needed the most by providing scholarships and loan repayment in exchange for a commitment of service in an underserved community. On Corps Community Day, we celebrate the impact of the NHSC on improving access to health care and highlight the importance of the primary care workforce as a whole. Events will take place throughout the month of October and will … [Read more...]