Secretary Sebelius Makes New Recovery Act Funding Available
Secretary Sebelius Visits Boston, Makes New Recovery Act Funding Available, Joins Discussion on Health Reform with Governor Patrick
HHS Has Provided $1.3 Billion in Recovery Act Resources to Massachusetts
June 5, 2009
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today visited the Tufts Floating Children’s Hospital in Boston where she announced the availability of nearly $200 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and participated in a discussion on health reform with Governor Deval Patrick and health care experts.
“I was honored to meet with Governor Patrick and experts from Massachusetts to learn more about the Commonwealth’s reforms and discuss how we can strengthen our health care system,” Secretary Sebelius said.
“As we await a national health care reform plan, a careful look at Massachusetts’ historic efforts to obtain near-universal health insurance coverage offers valuable insights into what we can achieve as a nation,” Governor Patrick said. “We thank President Obama and Secretary Sebelius for their strong commitment to ensuring that all Americans have access to quality, affordable care. Recovery Act funding for student loan repayments will further support our reform efforts by helping to deliver care to the communities where it’s needed most.”
Secretary Sebelius announced the availability of nearly $200 million to support student loan repayments for primary care medical, dental and mental health clinicians who want to work at NHSC sites. In exchange for the loan repayments, clinicians serve for two years with the Corps. The new funds are expected to double the number of Corps clinicians and make 3,300 awards to clinicians that serve in health centers, rural health clinics and other health care facilities that care for uninsured and underserved people.
The funds announced today were made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which has made a down payment on the critical health reforms our country needs and protected health care and vital services for Americans across the country. To date, HHS has provided more than $1.3 billion in Recovery Act funding to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts alone.
“The Recovery Act has laid the foundation for health reform and is supporting our effort to give more people access to the quality, affordable care they need,” added Sebelius. “The National Health Service Corps has helped protect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. Now, we are doubling the Corps and putting doctors and clinicians in the communities where they are desperately needed.”
“The health care professionals who heed this call to serve will join thousands of dedicated NHSC primary care clinicians already in the field,” said Mary Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N., administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration which oversees NHSC at HHS. “These funds will double both the number of Corps clinicians and the number of patients they care for, and spark economic growth in communities hit hard by the economic downturn.”
Since its inception nearly 40 years ago, NHSC has provided scholarships and loan repayments for more than 30,000 doctors, dentists and other health professionals who provide health care in the most geographically isolated and economically distressed regions of the country.
Sebelius encouraged fully trained health professionals who are dedicated to working with the underserved and have qualifying educational loans to apply for this opportunity. In addition to $50,000 for loan repayment, each clinician receives a competitive salary and a chance to have a significant impact on a community. Primary care practitioners interested in applying for loan repayments should visit http://nhsc.hrsa.gov.
To see a list of opportunities available by state, go to www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/nhsc/vacancies.html.
The activities described in this release are being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). To track the progress of HHS activities funded through the ARRA, visit www.hhs.gov/recovery. To track all federal funds provided through the ARRA, visit www.recovery.gov.
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news.