WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and John Curtis (R-UT) introduced bipartisan legislation to help address the physician shortage that is harming the quality-of-life in rural areas. The Community TEAMS Act would expand clinical training opportunities for medical students in medically underserved communities in Maine and across the country by creating new federal grants to support partnerships between medical schools and community-based health care providers, allowing medical students to complete clinical training in rural areas where physicians are needed most. This new Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant program would enable medical schools (MD and DO) to expand clinical rotations through partnerships with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), Rural Health Clinics (RHC), and other healthcare facilities in medically underserved communities

"For many people in Maine, especially in rural parts of our state, accessing basic medical care can mean driving hours for an appointment," said Senator King. "The Community TEAMS Act will help attract the next generation of health care workers from the ground up and improve access to care for families across Maine. That's not just smart policy, that's a people-first approach that will positively impact the health, safety, and economy of our state."

"Too many rural communities in Utah and across the country struggle to recruit and retain physicians," said Senator Curtis. "Our bipartisan legislation will help train the next generation of doctors while strengthening our rural health systems and improving families' access to care."

"The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) applauds Senators Curtis and King for their leadership in expanding clinical training opportunities where they are needed most," said AACOM President and CEO Robert A. Cain, DO. "Medical students who train in underserved communities are nearly three times more likely to remain there to practice. The Community TEAMS Act would strengthen the physician workforce while helping communities address persistent access-to-care challenges."

More specifically the Community TEAMS Act would:

• Establish grants to support community-based clinical rotations for medical students in rural areas and medically underserved communities.
• Enable such grants to be available for consortiums that consisted of medical schools and one or more health facilities that included RHCs, FQHCs, or health facilities located in medically underserved communities.

Representing a state with a high percentage of both rural and senior Americans, Senator King has supported increasing Maine people's access to affordable and accessible healthcare. Last year, he introduced the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act to expand telehealth access in Maine and across the country. Additionally, Senator King introduced the bipartisan Supporting Rural Veterans Access to Healthcare Services Act, which a service that provides roughly 2.7 million veterans with access to free transportation services to VA-authorized health care appointments.

Representing a state with a high percentage of both rural and senior Americans, Senator King has supported increasing Maine people's access to affordable and accessible healthcare. Last year, he introduced the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act to expand telehealth access in Maine and across the country. Additionally, Senator King introduced the bipartisan Supporting Rural Veterans Access to Healthcare Services Act, which a service that provides roughly 2.7 million veterans with access to free transportation services to VA-authorized health care appointments.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

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