HRSA March in Brief

HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson joined HHS leaders to release the Biden-Harris Administration Budget for FY 2024. The President’s FY 2024 budget requests $15.9 billion to support HRSA’s vital work (PDF - 3 MB) to expand access to health care services in the communities that need them most, grow the health workforce, reduce maternal mortality, invest in rural health, increase access to behavioral health care, and support HIV care.

Administrator Johnson joined Congressman Frank Pallone, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, at the Visiting Nurse Association of Central New Jersey to announce new Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Program awards. This funding—a total of $23 million across 46 grantees—will allow awardees to plan and develop Teaching Health Center residency programs in community-based settings, helping to cover associated start-up costs and support programs that previously may not have been able to establish primary care residency programs. The press conference and tour highlighted the importance of supporting primary care residency training programs in community-based settings, which helps to grow the health workforce in high-need communities.

In March, HRSA launched the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Modernization Initiative to better serve the needs of patients and families. The Initiative will strengthen accountability, equity, and performance in the organ donation and transplantation system through a focus on five key areas: technology, data transparency, governance, operations, and quality improvement and innovation.

HRSA Associate Administrator Tom Morris testified at the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Hearing on Addressing the Challenges of Rural America. There, he discussed the importance of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s investments in rural health, initiatives to support rural hospitals and expand access to health care services in rural communities, HRSA’s response to the opioid epidemic, and efforts to grow the rural workforce.

HRSA Administrator Johnson and Associate Administrator Dr. Padilla visited the Chesapeake Health Center in Salisbury, Maryland, to discuss the National Health Service Corps and the importance of loan repayment in exchange for practicing in high-need areas. Members of the health center staff, including several National Health Service Corps members, discussed the impact of the program on their ability to serve the community and the importance of the National Health Service Corps to rural health care.

HRSA Administrator Johnson joined other HHS leaders to mark the 13^th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act and its historic advancement of health care coverage in the United States. Through the Affordable Care Act and subsequent funding, HRSA has served more than 30 million people in health centers across the United States and supported more than 20,000 National Health Service Corps providers to bring care to underserved communities, as well as launched vital new programs like our home visiting initiative that supports new parents and children.

Associate Administrator Macrae participated in a White House-sponsored Cancer Moonshot Colorectal Cancer Forum marking Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. HRSA’s Accelerating Cancer Screening program provides grants to health centers to increase access to cancer screening and referrals for care for underserved populations in close partnership or coordination with National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers. These activities include supporting outreach specialists and patient navigators to help health center patients navigate cancer care.

HRSA Deputy Administrator Jordan Grossman opened HRSA's Spring 2023 Tribal Advisory Council meeting, which was hosted by the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Deputy Administrator Grossman, HRSA leadership, and tribal leaders discussed several tribal priorities with Council delegates, including rural health funding and health workforce issues. HRSA-supported grantees shared their work serving tribal members.

HRSA staff from across the agency attended the National League of Cities' Congressional City Conference in Washington, DC. This was an opportunity to promote and discuss HRSA’s flagship programs and answer grant application questions from local government officials from across the nation.