Garbarino, Schrier, Valadao, Craig Introduce Legislation To Grow Health Care Workforce

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02) introduced the Health Care Workforce Innovation Act of 2025. The legislation, co-led by Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA-08), David Valadao (R-CA-22), and Angie Craig (D-MN-02), is aimed at expanding the workforce pipeline for local health care providers. Specifically, this bill would create a new federal grant program within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to establish and expand partnerships between Community Health Centers (CHCs) and high schools, vocational-technical schools, community colleges, Area Health Education Centers (AHECs), and other entities. Through these partnerships, the program would support community health centers and rural health clinics in implementing innovative, community-driven models to train and develop a pipeline of allied health professionals.

"Community health centers like Sun River Health here on Long Island are on the front lines of providing health care to our local communities," said Rep. Garbarino."Ongoing staffing shortages, driven by challenges in recruitment and retention, threaten their ability to provide the care Long Islanders need. This legislation would help foster partnerships to strengthen CHCs' ability to train and retain qualified medical, behavioral, and oral health professionals and ensure patients continue to have access to the quality care they deserve."

"As a octor representing rural areas, I understand how challenging it can be to access timely care. In many parts of the Eighth District, residents need to drive a long distance to visit their doctor," said Rep. Schrier, M.D. "That's why I am introducing this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to increase the number of allied health care providers in rural areas and alleviate physician shortages. This is an important step to increase health care access for all Eighth District residents."

"Rising costs and persistent workforce shortages make it difficult for health centers to provide essential services in rural communities like the Central Valley," said Rep. Valadao."Investing in workforce development is critical to ensuring these communities have access to the healthcare professionals they need. I'm proud to support this bipartisan effort to strengthen the healthcare workforce by expanding local training opportunities to help recruit and retain the next generation of medical professionals who will serve our region."

"Improving access to care in rural and underserved communities starts with developing top-notch health care professionals right here at home," said Rep. Craig."I'm proud to have worked on this bipartisan legislation to recruit, train and retain allied health workers and ensure that folks in every corner of Minnesota's Second District have access to quality health care."

The grants established by this legislation could also be used to develop preceptorship training-to-practice models for medical, behavioral, and oral health care professionals in integrated, community-driven settings such as health centers. Additionally, new and existing health care career laddering programs could be supported, helping to incentivize young people to enter and stay in the field long-term. To be eligible to receive a grant under the program, an entity must be:

• a federally qualified health center (FQHC),
• a state-level association or other consortia that represent FQHCs,
• a rural health clinic, or
• an accredited, nonprofit post-secondary vocational program that trains allied health professionals to work in primary care settings.

The bill would authorize such appropriations as necessary annually for Fiscal Years 2026 through 2028. A grant awarded under the program would not exceed $2,500,000 and would be for a period of not less than three years.

The full text of the Health Care Workforce Innovation Actcan be found here.

This bipartisan legislation has been endorsed by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), Community Health Care Association of New York State (CHCANYS), Sun River Health, School Based Health Alliance, National Rural Health Association (NRHA), National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA), Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers, Washington Association for Community Health, National Network for Oral Health Access, Primary Care Collaborative (PCC), American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), and Community Catalyst.

"Community Health Centers are proud to be the employers of choice for more than 310,000 dedicated employees across the country. As a physician, I know how important allied health professionals are to patient care and to the operations of health centers. Across the country, more than 80 percent of health centers are investing in innovative partnerships with local schools, community colleges, and Area Health Education Centers to support training in community-settings and provide career laddering opportunities so staffers can see a long and rewarding career in health care. I commend Representatives Garbarino, Schrier, Craig and Valadao for their leadership in introducing this important legislation, which for the first time will provide federal funding to scale up these successful community-led workforce initiatives," said Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, President and CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers.

"Community Health Centers have long relied on creativity and innovation to attract and maintain the skilled workforce they need in the super-competitive health care environment. The Health Care Workforce Innovation Act recognizes that innovative spirit and provides the support and funding CHCs need to train and maintain their workforce. We are so grateful to Congressman Garbarino for supporting Community Health Centers and the incredible work they do to provide high quality, comprehensive care to one in every eight New Yorkers each year," said Rose Duhan, President and CEO of the Community Health Care Association of New York State.

"Our primary care workforce is in crisis, and we're so thankful to Representative Garbarino for introducing legislation that will directly impact his constituent's access to affordable, accessible primary health care and provide real economic opportunity for Long Island. Our Federally Qualified Health Centers in Wyandanch, Patchogue, Brentwood, and Amityville are the backbone of the South Shore's preventive, primary care landscape, and this legislation will create a pipeline to expand and create opportunities for Long Islanders to start a rewarding, impactful career keeping their communities healthy,"said Anne Kauffman Nolon, MPH, CEO of Sun River Health.

"There is no better way to start National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month than with the introduction of the Health (Care) Workforce Innovation Act. It's simple: healthy kids learn better, and a qualified and reliable workforce is necessary to meet the needs of our nation's children and their families. It takes all of us - together - to keep our kids healthy. The Health (Care) Workforce Innovation Act takes a crucial step in bolstering the nation's health center workforce and puts it on track to meet the needs of our nation's youth and their families," said Robert Boyd, President and CEO of School-Based Health Alliance.

"Training future allied health professionals is critical to addressing healthcare needs and workforce shortages. As a non-profit school that emphasizes an accessible, high-quality education at an affordable cost, the National Institute for Medical Assistance Advancement (NIMAA) proudly supports the bipartisan Health Workforce Innovation Act. This act will provide necessary funding to federally qualified health centers and accredited, nonprofit post-secondary vocational programs to ensure workforce development in primary care settings," said John Ephraim Butt, M.Ed., Executive Director of the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement.

"Workforce shortages continue to plague rural areas across the country. The reintroduction of the Health Workforce Innovation Act is a critical step toward strengthening care provided in rural health clinics and community health centers by supporting innovative models to train and develop a pipeline of a wide range of allied health professionals. Partnership is key to success in rural communities and an essential aspect of the grant funding collaboration with high schools, community colleges and other entities. The National Rural Health Association commends Representatives Garbarino, Schrier, Valadao, and Craig for their leadership in advocating for policies that recognize the unique challenges rural providers face," said Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association.

"The bipartisan Health Innovation Workforce Fund proposal offers a critical solution to the growing workforce challenges that community health centers in Minnesota and across the nation face. Allied health professionals - such as medical and dental assistants - are vital members of the care team at health centers. A similar apprenticeship program for health centers in Minnesota has trained over 30 people to become a medical or dental assistants. These apprentices learn key skills, while at the same time being paid by their health center as an employee. We appreciate the legislation from Representatives Garbarino and Craig as it recognizes the health center workforce needs, while simultaneously providing career advancement opportunities for the communities health centers serve," said Jonathan Watson, CEO of Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers.

"Every day, more and more Americans face challenges accessing high-quality primary care, especially in rural and other underserved communities," said Primary Care Collaborative President and CEO Ann Greiner. "This bill helps strengthen the primary care and community health center workforce-enabling patients to get the care they need and deserve."

"The healthcare workforce is rapidly changing, and we must make investments in the allied health professions to ensure we train the next generation of healthcare workers. In a survey by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), 66 percent of health information professionals reported experiencing persistent staffing shortages within their workplaces over the past two years. AHIMA applauds the introduction of the Health Care Workforce Innovation Act to support the education and training of this important workforce," said Lauren Riplinger, Chief Public Policy and Impact Officer of the American Health Information Management Association.

###