Carol Miller
12/04/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/04/2025 15:46
Miller, Colleagues Introduce Rural Residency Planning and Development Act
December 4, 2025
Washington, D.C. - This afternoon, Congresswoman Miller and her colleagues introduced the Rural Residency Planning and Development Act. The bill authorizes the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program , which provides federal grants to support start-up costs to establish new rural residency programs.
"The Rural Residency Planning and Development Program is vital to addressing physician shortages in rural communities. It is our job in Congress to invest in the next generation of rural health care workers and provide these hardworking men and women the proper resources and program stability they need to learn and continue to practice in rural communities," said Rep. Miller (R-WV).
"Rural hospitals across the country, including in Nebraska's Third District, struggle to recruit and retain enough providers to fully meet the needs of their communities. Part of this problem comes down to lack of exposure: only two percent of residency training occurs in rural areas. We know training new physicians in rural areas builds connections to rural communities and encourages them to seriously consider jobs in similar areas. Extending the RRPD's authorization will help more rural hospitals establish new residency programs and bolster the workforce pipeline to our rural communities," said Rep. Smith (R-NE).
"I'm proud to lead this bipartisan effort to strengthen the pipeline of physicians who live and practice in rural America. This bill makes a simple but powerful commitment: if we want more doctors in our rural communities, we must train them in our rural communities. HRSA's RRPD program has already delivered real results, including in Louisiana, by helping towns build new residency programs from the ground up. By authorizing and sustaining this program, we're giving rural hospitals, clinics, and training partners the tools they need to recruit and prepare the next generation of family physicians, internists, OB-GYNs, psychiatrists, surgeons, and more. This is how we close care gaps, support our rural workforce, and ensure every family, no matter their ZIP code, can count on access to quality health care," said Rep. Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA).
"Our rural and remote communities are facing some of the most severe provider shortages in the country. Without real, long-term investment in workforce development and job training, we will not retain the doctors and specialists we need. That's why I'm proud to co-lead the Rural Residency Planning and Development Act, which would bring stability to a program that has successfully created new rural residency programs and positions nationwide, including in Hawai'i. Our bill will help rural hospitals and clinics grow the local workforce, expand provider capacity, and reduce wait times for patients," said Rep. Tokuda (D-HI).
Click here for bill text.
Background
- Nearly 20% of Americans live in rural areas, but only 10% of physicians practice in these communities.
- The United States continues to face a serious physician shortage, especially in rural communities. Current projections show the nation may fall short by up to 124,000 physicians in the next decade, with rural areas alone expecting to face a deficit of more than 20,000 primary care doctors by this year.
- Training, recruiting, and retaining physicians in rural communities is essential to ensuring that people living in these areas have reliable access to comprehensive health care services.
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Issues:Health
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