Senator Rosen continued her fight for palliative care training this week by securing passage of her language in the bipartisan PREVENT Pandemics ACT which was marked-up by the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP). The bill now includes direction to the Secretary of HHS to “evaluate the need for, and identify service-related barriers to participants of health professional loan repayment programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration receiving accredited postgraduate training (including internships, fellowships, and residency programs), in non-primary care specialties for which there are workforce shortages, including palliative care.” The Secretary will also be responsible to take action to address such barriers and report back to Congress on steps taken and needed to address the barriers. C-TAC has long supported Senator Rosen’s efforts in this area through previous versions of the Provider Training in Palliative Care act (S. 1821). Rosen’s bills and this amendment attempt to ensure that health care professionals face fewer challenges when pursuing training and a career on palliative care. The larger bill addresses the need to improve our public health and medical preparedness and response systems. Here is Ranking Member Burr’s statement on the bill.
