Peoria Standard

Congressman Darin LaHood, representing Illinois' 16th district, has reintroduced the Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to support hospital-based nursing schools and allied health education programs. LaHood is joined by Representatives Angie Craig from Minnesota's 2nd district and Michelle Fischbach from Minnesota's 7th district in this effort.

"Hospital-based nursing schools play a critical role in providing students with high-quality education and increased access to care for patients throughout the country," stated Rep. LaHood. He emphasized the importance of these programs in rural and underserved communities in Illinois, expressing his commitment to supporting nurses and healthcare professionals.

Rep. Craig echoed this sentiment, saying, "Every American deserves reliable, high-quality health care, and that starts with uplifting our medical education and hospital-based training programs." She expressed pride in co-leading the initiative to strengthen the healthcare workforce.

Rep. Fischbach addressed the workforce shortage in healthcare, noting that Federal Nursing and Allied Health (N&AH) education programs are designed to maintain an adequate workforce by training nonphysician professionals such as anesthetists and occupational therapists. She highlighted that outdated regulations have restricted students from training at smaller facilities outside their host hospitals. The proposed act would allow students to receive training at facilities within health systems located in rural areas.

Rafael Malpica of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital & Advocate Condell Medical Center thanked the representatives for their dedication, stating that the bill updates archaic regulations burdening provider-based nursing and allied health schools.

Tom Kraus from ASHP supported the act as it "protects patients’ access to residency-trained pharmacists" by requiring CMS to clarify advanced clinical training requirements for pharmacists provided by hospitals.

The Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act addresses several chronic issues affecting healthcare professional training, aiming to modernize regulations so that students can train beyond their program’s host hospitals. This change seeks to improve care delivery in rural and underserved regions across the United States.