HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 10

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

Nathan P. Cote

FOR THE LEGISLATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE NEW MEXICO CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO WORK TO RESTORE FULL FEDERAL FUNDING FOR RESIDENCY EDUCATION UNDER TITLE VII AND TITLE VIII OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.

     WHEREAS, primary health care providers are essential to an effective health care delivery system, providing crucial acute, chronic and preventive health care services; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico communities are currently trying to recruit a substantial number of primary care providers, and the need for primary care providers will only increase due to an aging population, changing demographics and the retirement of working practitioners; and

     WHEREAS, access to medical care can only be assured if there are a sufficient number of health care and primary care providers available to work in all communities in the state; and

     WHEREAS, one element of improving access to health care and primary care providers is to develop and maintain strong educational, financial and mentoring support for students interested in becoming health care providers, thereby ensuring an adequate supply of providers to work in the health care delivery system throughout the state; and

     WHEREAS, a pipeline to improve the supply and distribution of health care providers requires many elements, including financial support through loan repayment programs, scholarships, loan-for-service programs, tax incentives and support for residency programs; and

     WHEREAS, Title VII and Title VIII of the federal Public Health Service Act authorize myriad programs for students and institutions to improve the geographic distribution, quality and diversity of the health care work force; and

     WHEREAS, those titles were created in 1963 and enacted in 1964 in response to a shortage of health care providers and were originally designed to encourage health care workers to practice in underserved areas and to focus on training advanced-practice nurses; and

     WHEREAS, over the years, those titles have been amended several times to authorize a number of programs with important objectives such as epidemiology, environmental health, maternal and child health and other areas where critical work force shortages exist; and

     WHEREAS, over the last three years, funding for Title VII and Title VIII programs has been stagnant or significantly reduced, including a reduction of forty million dollars ($40,000,000) in the "Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry Program"; and

     WHEREAS, loss of funding in those critical program areas makes it difficult to build, strengthen and diversify the state's health care and primary care work force;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the members of the New Mexico congressional delegation be requested to work to restore full federal funding for residency education under Title VII and Title VIII of the federal Public Health Service Act; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Mexico congressional delegation collaborate with the department of health, the university of New Mexico health sciences center, New Mexico health resources, incorporated, and others to identify specific recommendations that will best serve the health care needs of New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the New Mexico congressional delegation.

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