The Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act Introduced in the 117th Congress
On Tuesday, May 18th, the Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act (S.1679/H.R. 3320) was introduced by Representatives Bobby Rush (IL-01) and Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) in the House, by and Senators Bob Casey (PA), and Lisa Murkowski (AK) in the Senate. This legislation will help to increase the diversity of the occupational therapy workforce and was first championed by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in the last Congress.
The Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act (AHWD) recognizes that it is vital to ensure that the makeup of the health care workforce in the United States evolves to mirror the makeup of the population. Having a more diverse workforce helps close the gap on provider shortages, while improving the ability of the health care workforce to effectively address the health care needs of all Americans.
If passed, the bill would provide grant funding to academic programs to increase opportunities for individuals who are from underrepresented backgrounds, including students from racial and ethnic minorities, in the professions of occupational therapy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, speech-language pathology, and audiology. This legislation creates a program administered by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) and funding to ensure the flexibility to adapt to changes to what groups are underrepresented, in order to grow with a changing health workforce.
It is vital to anticipate what is required to promote a thriving, diverse health workforce into the future. Health workforce diversity was important prior to the pandemic; the Institute of Medicine raised concerns about the diversity of the health care workforce in its 2004 study: In the Nation’s Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health Care Workforce.i The report found that racial and ethnic minorities receive a lower quality of health care than non-minorities.ii Overall, increasing diversity will lead to improved access to care, greater patient choice and satisfaction, and better education experience for health professions students, among many other benefits.iii In particular, a diverse health care workforce can help to address both preexisting health disparities among the population, as well as those disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The grant program proposed in this bill allows higher education programs for these professions to strengthen and expand the use of evidence-based strategies shown to increase the recruitment, enrollment, retention, and graduation of students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. These strategies include outreach to the community, the creation or expansion of mentorship and tutoring programs, and the provision of scholarship and stipends to students. This program is modeled after the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Diversity program, which has successfully increased the percentage of racial and ethnic minorities pursuing careers in nursing.
AOTA is excited for the reintroduction of the AHWD Act in this new Congress and will work to promote its passage over the next 20 months.