The Developing the Community Health Workforce Act of 2026 would create new federal supports for health centers that serve rural and underserved areas. It adds priorities and grant programs for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and rural health clinics, creates loan repayment grants for clinicians at those centers, funds grants to recruit, train, and retain community-based health center staff, and supports partnerships between health centers and institutions of higher education for training. The bill also would allow FQHCs to register as apprenticeship programs, fund training and stipends for behavioral health specialists, expand how graduate medical education (GME) counts residents when training occurs at FQHCs, and add behavioral health consultants and case management services to the Medicare and Medicaid definitions of FQHC services. The bill directs an HHS study and annual guidance on how States adjust Medicaid payment amounts to FQHCs.
If enacted, the bill would: provide grants to FQHCs for loan repayment to attract clinicians; fund programs to recruit and train staff (including behavioral health specialists); make FQHCs eligible to be registered as apprenticeship programs; support college–health center partnerships for clinical and nonclinical training; increase certain hospital Medicare resident limits for programs with substantial training at FQHCs; and add behavioral health and case management services to covered FQHC services. It also requires HHS to study and issue guidance on State Medicaid payment adjustments for FQHC services.
No publicly available information.
The bill's stated purpose is to strengthen recruitment, training, and retention of the health center workforce to improve access to care and health outcomes in rural and underserved communities. Provisions focus on loan repayment, grants for workforce development, apprenticeship eligibility, behavioral health training, expanded GME support, and guidance on Medicaid payments.
No publicly available information.