Health Professionals Program Gets Funding Boost in Obama Budget
The Obama administration is increasing funding to a program that provides grants to help get doctors and nurses into low-income neighborhoods despite Bush administration officials cutting funding for the program, USA Today reports.
The funding is part of $38 billion worth of spending in Obama's budget on such programs that were deemed as "not performing" by the Bush administration, according to USA Today. Under Bush, the Health Professions program that was slated to receive less funding was marked for less money because "an independent review found universities receiving grants did not send significantly more doctors and nurses to low-income areas," USA Today reports. The program will receive $406 million next year.
"David Bowman, a spokesman with the Health Resources and Services Administration, said the money will be used partly to train 2,500 more students in primary care and dentistry, bringing total enrollment to 21,500," according to USA Today (Fritze, 5/26).
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