The Alliance to Strengthen America’s Health Workforce for the Underserved is leading a coalition sign-on letter urging the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) to advance bipartisan reauthorization of the Public Health Service Act Title VII Health Professions and Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs.
The letter calls for congressional action on S. 1874, the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025, and S. 4110, the EMPOWER for Health Act — bipartisan legislation that supports the education, training, recruitment, and retention of healthcare professionals serving rural and medically underserved communities.
HRSA Title VII and Title VIII programs are foundational components of the nation’s healthcare workforce infrastructure, supporting physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, behavioral health professionals, public health practitioners, and other clinicians who are essential to team-based care delivery nationwide.
These programs matter to a broad coalition of healthcare, workforce, education, and community stakeholders. However, their authorization has already lapsed, and without congressional action, these longstanding workforce programs could disappear entirely, creating further instability for workforce training pathways and access to care in underserved communities.
As workforce shortages continue to strain healthcare access across the country, reauthorizing these programs would help strengthen workforce pathways, improve recruitment and retention, and expand access to high-quality care in communities with the greatest needs.
The Alliance is currently soliciting organizational sign-ons to the letter through May 22, 2026, to demonstrate broad, cross-sector support for advancing these proven workforce programs through the Senate HELP Committee process.
Organizations interested in signing on or learning more about the effort can access the coalition sign-on form here:
Learn more about the Alliance to Strengthen America’s Health Workforce for the Underserved at healthworkforcealliance.org.
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