The US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has announced plans to allocate around $100m in funding, aimed at expanding and strengthening the health workforce.
This initiative is set to boost access to enhanced healthcare, particularly in areas of the country with a high demand for medical services.
The funding announcement coincides with an HHS Health Workforce Roundtable, part of Secretary Xavier Becerra’s Health Workforce Initiative.
According to HHS, the HRSA's investment will mainly focus on increasing the existing number of nurses and primary care physicians.
The funding will also be used for providing better behavioural health support through a community-based workforce.
Over the next four years, more than $19m will be distributed to five educational institutions, including two community colleges, to augment the nursing workforce in acute and long-term care settings.
Nearly $12m will also be allocated to three medical schools to increase the number of primary care physicians in medically underserved, rural, and tribal communities by this year.
A significant portion of the funding, approximately $63m, will be awarded to 32 organisations over four years.
These funds are earmarked for training and expanding the number of peer support specialists and other community-based providers, which will focus on delivering mental health services and family support for children affected by opioid and other substance use disorders.
Furthermore, the HRSA is providing an additional $4.6m to existing grantees.
This extension will enable them to enhance paediatricians' mental health training and support tele-consultations with psychiatrists, offering real-time behavioural health assistance to child and adolescent patients.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said: “HHS launched our Health Workforce Initiative last year to make sure our country has enough health workers, and that those health workers are receiving the support they deserve.
“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to invest in recruiting, training, and supporting the health workforce, so high-quality care is accessible for all. It is especially important that we address workforce shortages in underserved and rural communities, where access is often lacking.”
