From Congressman Darin LaHood:
LaHood Reintroduces Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen and Protect Our Future Health Care Workforce
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-16) reintroduced the Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act alongside Representatives Angie Craig (MN-02) and Michelle Fischbach (MN-07).
This legislation will help support and provide needed relief to hospital-based nursing schools and allied health education (NAHE) programs.
“Hospital-based nursing schools play a critical role in providing students with high-quality education and increased access to care for patients throughout the country,” said Rep. LaHood.
“These programs are vital in rural and underserved communities throughout Illinois. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to protect Illinois’ hospital-based nursing schools and allied health programs. I am committed to supporting our hardworking nurses and health care professions while working to strengthen our health system.”
“Every American deserves reliable, high-quality health care, and that starts with uplifting our medical education and hospital-based training programs,” said Rep. Craig. “I’m proud to co-lead this bipartisan effort to strengthen our health care workforce so our nurses and allied health professionals have access to the hands-on experience they need.”
“There is no denying the workforce shortage in the healthcare industry and I am always looking for ways to change that.
“One mechanism is through Federal Nursing and Allied Health (N&AH).
“These are education programs designed to help providers maintain an adequate workforce by incentivizing the training of nonphysician professionals like anesthetists, occupational therapists, pharmacy residents, X-ray technologists, and nurses,” said Rep. Fischbach.
“When these programs were created, there were no large health systems.
“The N&AH educational programs were housed in individual hospitals.
“This has prevented nursing and allied health students from training in smaller facilities outside their program’s host hospitals, like those across western Minnesota.
“I am proud to cosponsor the bipartisan Rebuilding America’s Health Care Schools Act, which would allow N&AH students to receive training at in-health system facilities in rural areas, helping alleviate staffing strains in those facilities.”
“We thank Representatives LaHood, Fischbach, and Craig for their dedication to, and support of, the future healthcare workforce,” said Rafael Malpica, Director, Hospital Programs, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital & Advocate Condell Medical Center.
“This bi-partisan bill updates archaic regulations and eliminates over-regulation which has burdened provider-based nursing and allied health schools for years, and with passage of this bill, our schools, hospitals, and health systems will be able to tackle the healthcare workforce shortage together.”
“The Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act of 2025 protects patients’ access to residency-trained pharmacists. The Act requires CMS to clarify the requirements hospitals must meet when providing advanced clinical training for pharmacists” said Tom Kraus, Vice President of Government Relations. “ASHP is a strong supporter of the Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act of 2025, which will strengthen our nation’s pharmacy workforce to meet the needs of patients.”
Background:
Nurses and other allied health professionals who receive their education and training at hospital-based programs provide high-quality care to communities in Illinois and across the country. These are key programs in our health care system that offer essential services that contribute to improving patient outcomes.
The Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act addresses several chronic issues that have hampered the ability to train and grow the next generation of health professionals.
Currently, nurses and other allied health professionals who receive their education and training at hospital-based programs can only provide clinical training at their program’s host hospital. This outdated regulation has not kept up with our modern healthcare system and negatively impacts students’ ability to provide care to rural and underserved areas in need.
