Professional's Access To Health Workforce Integration Act of 2015
Directs the Department of Health and Human Services, acting through the Bureau of Health Workforce within the Health Resources and Services Administration, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, or the Office of Minority Health (HHS), to award grants to eligible entities to:
Includes as an eligible entity a clinical, public health, or health services organization, a community-based or nonprofit entity, an academic institution, a faith-based organization, a state, county, or local government, or an Area Health Education Center that submits an application that meets HHS requirements.
Defines "health professional" as an individual trained for employment or intended employment in specified fields, including public health, health management, dentistry, health administration, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, psychology, social work, psychiatry, and other mental and behavioral health, allied health, and community health or wellness work.
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2709 Introduced in House (IH)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2709
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants
for career support for skilled internationally educated health
professionals.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 10, 2015
Ms. Roybal-Allard introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants
for career support for skilled internationally educated health
professionals.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Professional's Access To Health
Workforce Integration Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. CAREER SUPPORT FOR SKILLED, INTERNATIONALLY EDUCATED HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the Association of Schools of Public
Health, projections indicate a nationwide shortage of up to
250,000 public health workers needed by 2020.
(2) Similar trends are projected for other health
professions indicating shortages across disciplines, including
within the fields of nursing (500,000 by 2025), dentistry
(15,000 by 2025), pharmacy (38,000 by 2030), mental and
behavioral health, primary care (46,000 by 2025), and community
and allied health.
(3) A nationwide health workforce shortage will result in
serious health threats and more severe and costly health care
needs, due to, in part, a delayed response to food-borne
outbreaks, emerging infectious diseases, natural disasters,
fewer cancer screenings, and delayed treatment.
(4) Vulnerable and underserved populations and health
professional shortage areas will be most severely impacted by
the health workforce shortage.
(5) According to the Migration Policy Institute, over
2,000,000 college-educated immigrants in the United States
today are unemployed or underemployed in low- or semi-skilled
jobs that fail to draw on their education and expertise.
(6) Approximately 2 out of every 5 internationally educated
immigrants are unemployed or underemployed.
(7) According to Drexel University Center for Labor Markets
and Policy, underemployment for internationally educated
immigrant women is 28 percent higher than for their male
counterparts.
(8) According to the Drexel University Center for labor
markets and policy, the mean annual earnings of underemployed
immigrants were $32,000, or 43 percent less than United States
born college graduates employed in the college labor market.
(9) According to Upwardly Global and the Welcome Back
Initiative, with proper guidance and support, underemployed
skilled immigrants typically increase their income by 215
percent to 900 percent.
(10) According to the Brookings Institution and the
Partnership for a New American Economy, immigrants working in
the health workforce are, on average, better educated than
United States-born workers in the health workforce.
(b) Grants to Eligible Entities.--
(1) Authority to provide grants.--The Secretary of Health
and Human Services acting through the Bureau of Health
Workforce within the Health Resources and Services
Administration, the National Institute on Minority Health and
Health Disparities, or the Office of Minority Health (in this
section referred to as the ``Secretary'') may award grants to
eligible entities to carry out activities described in
subsection (c).
(2) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, an entity shall--
(A) be a clinical, public health, or health
services organization, a community-based or nonprofit
entity, an academic institution, a faith-based
organization, a State, county, or local government, an
Area Health Education Center, or another entity
determined appropriate by the Secretary; and
(B) submit to the Secretary an application at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require.
(c) Authorized Activities.--A grant awarded under this section
shall be used--
(1) to provide services to assist unemployed and
underemployed skilled immigrants, residing in the United
States, who have legal, permanent work authorization and who
are internationally educated health professionals, enter into
the American health workforce with employment matching their
health professional skills and education, and advance in
employment to positions that better match their health
professional education and expertise;
(2) to provide training opportunities to reduce barriers to
entry and advancement in the health workforce for skilled,
internationally educated immigrants;
(3) to educate employers regarding the abilities and
capacities of internationally educated health professionals;
(4) to assist in the evaluation of foreign credentials; and
(5) to facilitate access to contextualized and accelerated
courses on English as a second language.
(d) Definition.--In this section:
(1) The term ``health professional'' means an individual
trained for employment or intended employment in the field of
public health, health management, dentistry, health
administration, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, psychology, social
work, psychiatry, other mental and behavioral health, allied
health, community health or wellness work, including fitness
and nutrition, or other fields as determined appropriate by the
Secretary.
(2) The term ``underemployed'' means being employed at less
skilled tasks than an employee's training or abilities would
otherwise permit.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H4010-4011)
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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