Sen. Roger Marshall, MD, and Sen. Bernie Sanders collaborated to create the Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act to address the shortage of healthcare workers.
The legislation provides more than $26 billion in funding to help combat staffing shortages, according to a Sept. 14 news release from Dr. Marshall.
The act includes solutions to the staffing shortage in the dental industry, including:
- $3 billion in capital funding to community health centers to expand dental and mental healthcare.
- An increase in funding for the National Health Service Corps from $310 million to $950 million per year to provide scholarships and loan forgiveness for healthcare professionals, including dentists, who work in underserved areas.
- $1.5 billion over the next five years to the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program, which increases the number of primary care and dental residency spots.
- Investment in training and workforce programs for dentists and dental assistants.