To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a health care workforce innovation program.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Garbarino (for himself, Ms. Schrier, Mr. Valadao, and Ms. …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Health Care Workforce Innovation Act of 2025 creates a new federal grant program to train allied health professionals (such as medical assistants, dental hygienists, pharmacy technicians, and community health workers) in underserved and rural communities. The goal is to address healthcare workforce shortages in areas that lack adequate access to medical services by funding innovative, community-based training programs.
Who Benefits and How
Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Clinics can receive grants of up to $2.5 million to develop or expand workforce training programs, helping them build local healthcare talent pipelines.
Students from underserved and disadvantaged backgrounds gain access to healthcare career pathways through apprenticeships, internships, and education partnerships with local schools and colleges.
Underserved and rural communities benefit from an increased supply of trained healthcare workers who understand and reflect their community's needs, improving access to medical, dental, and behavioral health services.
Educational institutions (high schools, vocational schools, and community colleges) that partner with health centers gain new funding streams and opportunities to connect students to healthcare careers.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers fund the program through appropriations authorized for fiscal years 2026-2028, though the bill does not specify exact dollar amounts ("such sums as may be necessary").
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HRSA take on the administrative responsibility of managing the grant program, reviewing applications, and collecting periodic performance reports from grantees.
Key Provisions
- Creates the "Health Care Workforce Innovation Program" under Section 755(b) of the Public Health Service Act
- Limits eligible grantees to FQHCs, rural health clinics, state-level FQHC associations, and accredited nonprofit vocational programs
- Caps individual grants at $2.5 million per grant period, with programs lasting at least 3 years
- Prioritizes applicants who will increase workforce diversity, improve healthcare access in underserved areas, or demonstrate replicable models
- Allows funds to be used for training equipment, apprenticeships, internships, preceptorships, and educational partnerships, but prohibits use for new construction
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Creates a federal grant program to fund innovative, community-driven education and training programs for allied health professionals in underserved and rural communities
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Expand allied health workforce in underserved areas through community-driven training programs funded by federal grants"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
- Rural health clinics
- Community health center associations
- Nonprofit vocational programs training allied health workers
- Educational institutions (high schools, vocational-technical schools, 2-year colleges) partnering on training programs
- Allied health professionals receiving training and education
- Underserved communities gaining access to more health workers
- Students from underserved and disadvantaged backgrounds entering healthcare careers
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal taxpayers (funding the grants)
- HHS/HRSA (administrative burden of managing new grant program)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Includes individuals who provide clinical support services (medical assistants, dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental therapists, pharmacy technicians, physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, health care interpreters); individuals providing non-clinical support (billing and coding professionals, health information technology professionals); dieticians; medical technologists; emergency medical technicians; community health workers; health education specialists; health care paraprofessionals; and peer support specialists
Has the meaning given by the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration
Areas, population groups, and facilities designated as health professional shortage areas under section 332, medically underserved areas as defined under section 330I(a), or medically underserved populations as defined under section 330(b)(3)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology