OPINION:
By almost any measure, our nation faces a shortage of qualified medical professionals, and this shortage is causing a crisis in my home state of Nevada when it comes to accessing quality health care. In 2021, Nevada ranked 48th in the nation in the availability of primary care providers. However, the challenges we face are not unique. Across the nation, the lack of active medical professionals is leading to longer waiting times for care and worse health outcomes.
Access to health care is not just a “red state” or a “blue state” problem; it’s an American problem, and we need to come together to fix it. Now more than ever, we must take action, Democrats and Republicans, to address this crisis with the urgency it demands.
In Nevada, the lack of physicians is hurting the ability of all Nevadans to get the care they need in a timely manner. Many people in my state have to wait over a month to see their primary care providers, and even longer to see a specialist. Research has shown that this is putting stress on emergency rooms and makes re-admission to the hospital more likely.
Families in Nevada and across our country deserve better, and that’s why I’ve made it a priority to address this issue by pursuing commonsense solutions to expand the number of doctors and nurses in communities that need them most.
I’m addressing the physician shortage by working in a bipartisan way to expand medical residencies and training opportunities. Studies have shown that medical students are more likely to stay and practice medicine in the locations where they completed their residencies. Nevada is the fifth fastest-growing state in the country, but the number of medical residency slots we are allocated from the federal government has not kept pace with our growth.
My bipartisan Physicians for Underserved Areas Act revises the existing residency re-allocation process so that the redistribution of residency positions better reflects the needs across the country as hospitals close. I also wrote a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services at the end of last year, requesting that Nevada be allocated its fair share of the new residency slots. If Nevada were allocated the residency slots it needs, then more doctors would likely choose to practice medicine in our state.
My bipartisan Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act incentivizes doctors and dentists to work across Nevada, including in rural and underserved areas by deferring student loan payments.
Another bill, my bipartisan Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care (SPARC) Act, brings specialty doctors to rural and underserved areas by providing student loan repayment incentives to those who stay and practice in these areas.
And it’s not just doctors, it’s nurses too. Nevada ranks near the bottom in terms of the number of nurses per capita throughout our state, which means greater barriers to accessing care.
My bipartisan Train More Nurses Act invests in nursing faculty and increases pathways available to Licensed Practical Nurses to become Registered Nurses. This bipartisan bill actually passed the Senate unanimously last Congress. This Congress, I’m confident we can get this legislation passed again and signed into law.
People in Nevada and across the country have asked us to take action to improve care time and time again. With a shortage of doctors and nurses in my state and so many others, it is critical that we work together Democrats AND Republicans to address this crisis with the urgency it demands. I’m ready to work with anyone to move these commonsense initiatives forward, to keep our communities healthy, and to save lives.
• Sen. Jacky Rosen represents Nevada.
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