- The Honorable Patty Murray
Chair, Committee on Appropriations
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510 - The Honorable Susan Collins
Vice Chair, Committee on Appropriations
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510 - The Honorable Tammy Baldwin
Chair, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and
Human Services, Education, and Related
Agencies
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510 - The Honorable Shelley Moore Capito
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Labor,
Health and Human Services, Education, and
Related Agencies
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chair Murray, Vice Chair Collins, Chair Baldwin, and Ranking Member Capito:
On behalf of organizations dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children and adolescents, we write to thank you for your continued support of the Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program (PSLRP, Public Health Service Act Sec. 775) and request $30 million in funding for PSLRP in the Senate Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill. With this investment, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will be able to ensure more communities have access to specialized pediatric care by expanding the number of loan repayment awards it is able to make.
Serious shortages of pediatric medical subspecialists, pediatric surgical specialists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, and other pediatric mental health professionals are impeding children’s access to needed care. Ideally, children requiring specialized care should be able to see a provider within a reasonable amount of time and as close to their homes as possible. However, growing pediatric subspecialty shortages are leading to more children waiting longer for an appointment and traveling longer distances to receive care.
For example, severe shortages of pediatric geneticists and developmental-behavioral pediatricians can result in families waiting up to 5 months for an appointment, while children in need of a pediatric neurologist may have to wait for 3 months before they can see a provider. One quarter of children in the United States live greater than a 55-mile drive away from a pediatric rheumatologist, which can cause additional stress and burden due to disrupted family schedules and lost time at school, when a child with juvenile arthritis needs care. Delaying care can result in delayed diagnosis, delayed treatment and intervention, and potentially harmful consequences.
Click here to read the full Neurosurgery Urges Senate to Fund Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program.
