ACS Advocacy Brief: August 11

ACS Supports Expansion of Program to Ease Physician Shortage

The ACS and 62 other organizations sent a letter July 29 urging Congress to pass the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act before the end of the year. The bill would extend the Conrad 30 waiver program for 3 years, make several targeted improvements, and permit the gradual expansion of the number of waivers granted to each state.

Aimed at addressing physician shortages in medically underserved areas, the Conrad 30 waiver program allows international medical graduates who rely on J-1 visas to immediately begin practicing upon completion of their US residency programs. Since its inception in 1994, the program has brought more than 15,000 physicians, including surgeons, to rural and underserved communities in all 50 states. The program has helped ensure that individuals living in such areas across the US have access to critical, high-quality healthcare services.

Read the letters to the House and Senate here.

Join Conference Call August 12 about MISSION ZERO Trauma Grants

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is accepting applications for the Military Civilian Partnership for the Trauma Readiness Grant (MISSION ZERO) program via the grants.gov website. Eligible entities can learn more by participating in a conference call:

Date: Friday, August 12
Time: 1:00−2:00 pm ET
Call-in number: 206-420-5032
ID number: 161 382 537
Direct link: Click to join the meeting via Microsoft Teams

Applications are due Wednesday, August 31.

The grant supports and builds military-civilian partnerships that will improve the nation's response to public health and medical emergencies while exposing combat casualty care providers to severely injured trauma patients when not deployed. The grant will defray the administrative costs that civilian trauma centers incur and may be used to train and integrate military trauma care providers into these facilities.

An additional requirement is that an applying trauma center must have in place an existing agreement with the Secretary of Defense that enables military teams/providers to work at their facility.

The MISSION ZERO grant program was funded at $2 million for the first time in 2021, thanks in part to the direct advocacy efforts of the ACS, the Committee on Trauma, and the continued support of and collaboration with the Military Health System Strategic Partnership ACS.

Details about the grant and eligibility can be found in the Funding Opportunity Announcement. Access it by navigating to the “Related Documents” tab on the grant web page.

Fellows and Residents Now Qualify for Healthcare Worker Bonus Program in NY

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last week announced that medical fellows and residents will now be included in the state’s $1.2 billion healthcare worker bonus program. The program, which was established as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 New York State (NYS) Executive Budget, initially omitted medical residents from the list of eligible frontline healthcare workers.

In response, the ACS, the New York Chapter, and the Eastern Long Island Chapter submitted a joint letter to the commissioner of the New York State Health Department formally requesting that medical fellows and residents be added. View the letter.

The bonuses come after many frontline healthcare workers shouldered the brunt of patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, burnout rates increased, and many healthcare personnel have either moved into roles that avoid direct patient care or left the industry entirely. In her announcement, Governor Hochul emphasized that the bonus program will ensure the state can continue providing the highest quality of care by helping to recruit and retain talent in medical facilities across the state.

To qualify, healthcare workers must earn less than $125,000 per year and have worked in their position for at least 6 months. Bonuses may vary by the number of hours employees work each week, with a maximum of $3,000. Learn more about the program and how to apply by visiting the NYS Healthcare Worker Bonus (HWB) Portal or Frequently Asked Questions website.

Massachusetts Surgeons Help Secure STOP THE BLEED® Pilot in Schools

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker recently signed an FY 2023 state budget that included $50,000 for a STOP THE BLEED^® pilot program. The funding will include the procurement of bleeding control kits and training for faculty and staff at several schools across the state.

The ACS Massachusetts Chapter worked directly with State Rep. Shawn Dooley’s office to ensure that the funding request made it through the state’s budget process. In Massachusetts, the House and Senate each submit a proposed budget to a special ad hoc conference committee, which is charged with reconciling the proposals and sending a final budget to the Governor for approval. The STOP THE BLEED^® pilot program had been included in the House budget, but not the Senate budget. As a direct result of the Massachusetts Chapter’s advocacy efforts, the conference committee included the funding in the final budget.

Public schools located in Bellingham, Dover, Medfield, Milford, Millis, Needham, Norfolk, Plainville, Sherborn, Wrentham, and Franklin will be included in the initial pilot.

This advocacy win shows how state chapters can influence policymakers and significantly affect the health and well-being of residents and patients within their state. The ACS action in Massachusetts follows other wins for state-level STOP THE BLEED^® action this year, as discussed in a previous issue of the Advocacy Brief.

For more information on how your chapter can lead legislative efforts in your state, contact Rebecca King at rebeccaking@facs.org.