Community TEAMS Act Expands Rural Clinical Training Opportunities
Published February 20, 2024
By AACOM Government Relations
Advocacy Federal Policy Healthcare Workforce OME Advocate Rural Medicine
On February 6, 2024, U.S. Representatives Carol Miller (R-WV) and Annie Kuster (D-NH) introduced the Community Training, Education, and Access for Medical Students (Community TEAMS) Act, H.R. 7258. This bipartisan legislation, sought by AACOM, establishes a new Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant program that partners medical schools with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and other healthcare facilities located in medically underserved communities to increase medical school clinical rotations in rural and underserved areas.
“We are grateful to Representatives Miller and Kuster for their leadership in prioritizing medical student training in community-based settings, where more than 80 percent of patient care is delivered,” said AACOM President and CEO Robert A. Cain, DO. “With 64 percent of colleges of osteopathic medicine requiring clinical rotations in rural and underserved areas, and 43 percent of graduating 2021-2022 osteopathic medical students intending to practice in underserved communities, this bill will have a significant impact on future osteopathic physicians and the patients they’ll serve.” Learn more about the legislation and urge your Members of Congress to cosponsor the Community TEAMS Act or introduce a Senate companion bill. |