Plead For Extension Of Healthcare Training Centers

Congressmember Joseph Crowley has called upon federal health officials to extend funding for programs that train healthcare professionals and open up opportunities for all people in this field.

The funding is due to expire on February 28 and May 31. The programs involved are Centers of Excellence (COEs) and Health Careers Opportunity (H-COPs).

In letters to federal Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and Health Resources and Services Administrator Elizabeth Duke, Crowley warned: "As a nation we will soon be faced with a shortage of qualified physicians. It is important to keep programs that recruit new physicians up and running. As such, programs like COEs and H-COPs are critical in training a diverse group of health professionals and improving service to underserved populations. Recent cuts have affected 30 out of 34 COEs and 70 out of 74 H-COPs."

Crowley (D- Queens/The Bronx) added, "Without immediate action, many of these vital programs that are already threatened will not be eligible to receive critical grant funding from NIH [the National Institutes of Health]. They need to offer hope to aspiring doctors and nurses and underserved communities."

The lawmaker urged Leavitt and Duke to extend their status for grant eligibility.

Joining Crowley in his request were Congressmembers Charles Rangel (D- New York), chair of the Ways and Means Committee, of which Crowley is a member, and Congressmembers Carolyn Maloney, Gary Ackerman, Anthony Weiner and Gregory Meeks, all Queens Democrats.

Crowley singled out the Hispanic Center of Excellence at Albert Einstein College of Medicine as one of the affected organizations. It runs a two-year program that trains junior faculty to receive masters' degrees in clinical research.- John Toscano