Unless Congress acts quickly, West Virginia and the nation willlose - perhaps forever - two effective programs that bring qualityhealth care to residents of rural areas and to minority communities.
The federal budget for 2007 will set national priorities throughits funding decisions. Congress is on track to eliminate both theHealth Careers Opportunity Program and Centers of Excellence fromTitle VII funding.
The career program offers high school students laboratory researchexperiences and pre-college science enrichment courses, as well asmentoring, peer support and advising. Centers of excellence nurtureand mentor students who participate to ensure that they enter thehealth professions workforce.
These programs prepare minority and disadvantaged students formedical school or training in other health professions. In WestVirginia, this often means financially disadvantaged students,students who are the first in their families to go to college, andrural students who don't ordinarily think of health professions.
At West Virginia University, we have worked with more than 650young people in these programs. The results are truly amazing: 84percent have successfully graduated from college or are on tracktowards graduation. At least 143 have successfully graduated inhealth professions or allied health programs, and are now ready toserve.
West Virginia did not depend solely on federal dollars to createopportunities for these students. Our state took bold steps in the'90s to invest in our future health care. We are seeing greatresults. State and privately funded programs, such as the HealthSciences and Technology Academy, have helped us identify promisingstudents early and give them encouragement and resources to succeed.We have been recognized nationally for our efforts, and for thepartnerships that we have built among our health schools, ourcommunities and our state government.
Across the country, the Health Careers Opportunity Program andCenters of Excellence have helped 500,000 aspiring healthprofessionals. A study published recently in the Journal of theAmerican Medical Association found that career program participantswere three times more likely to enter medical school than non-participants. A recent survey conducted by the Association ofAmerican Medical Colleges found that without Title VII funds, 83percent of both programs will shut down, opening large gaps in thefragile medical education pipeline.
But we have not yet solved our health problems. People in ruralcommunities, members of ethnic and racial minorities, and people witheconomic problems have far more health problems, and far less accessto care, than most Americans. Shortages of health professionals aremore acute in these areas, and may grow more urgent as the populationages. We desperately need to encourage young people, particularlyfrom the communities most in need, to prepare themselves forchallenging careers in health care.
Without programs such as Title VII that seek to reach out to allwell-prepared aspiring doctors, our physician workforce will notreflect the nation's growing diversity. Eliminating federal supportfor Title VII is a step in the wrong direction. Reinstituting TitleVII funding will revive these crucial programs, which have beeninstrumental in preparing rural, low-income and minority students forcareers in medicine.
