WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), announced her co-sponsorship of the Pathways to Health Careers Act. The bill — introduced by Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) — would build on the success of the Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) Program and help increase the number of health care workers in Nevada.
The HPOG program funds and supports apprenticeships, stackable credentials, and other training to help traditionally underserved workers gain access to entry, mid, and high-level jobs in health care, including as nurses, health information technicians, surgical technicians, and other positions.
“To ensure all Nevada communities have easy access to quality and affordable care, we must take more proactive steps to address the health workforce shortage,” dijo el Senador Rosen. “This legislation would invest in guaranteed grant funding for our state, helping alleviate our state’s serious health care workforce shortage by supporting apprenticeships, stackable credentials, and other training to help underserved workers gain access to in-demand, high-paying medical jobs.”
The Pathways to Health Careers Act would:
- Extend current Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program demonstrations to finish the current grant cycle, authorize two new targeted demonstration grants, and begin providing regular HPOG competitive grants in every state to build on the program’s success in getting disadvantaged people good jobs while addressing the health care workforce shortage.
- Invest in rural America by providing grant preference to applicants that are located in rural areas, are training participants who commute from rural areas, and/or who are placing Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program graduates in jobs in rural communities.
- Invest in Tribal communities by increasing the funding set aside for these communities and ensuring that Tribal Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program applicants are only competing amongst each other for funding (rather than competing amongst the entire country).
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