Community TEAMS Act sponsored by Miller to bolster medical training in underserved America

A bipartisan bill U.S. Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) proposed on Feb. 6 would provide community-based training opportunities for medical students in rural areas and medically underserved communities across America.

“By training medical students in underserved areas of our country, we are laying the foundation for better health care in the U.S.,” said the congresswoman.

The Community Training, Education, and Access for Medical Students (TEAMS) Act of 2024, H.R. 7258, which Rep. Miller sponsored alongside original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH), would create a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant program to fund such training in order to facilitate long-term, sustainable physician practice in high-need communities.

The HRSA grant program would support medical student clinical rotations in healthcare facilities in such areas and communities, including in outpatient settings, according to the text of H.R. 7258.

“Americans in rural communities deserve the same quality of health care treatment as patients in more populated areas,” Rep. Miller said. “The Community TEAMS Act gives medical students the ability to adapt to medical challenges that may arise while serving in rural communities and provides them with opportunities to practice medicine in the rural workforce.”

H.R. 7258, which has been endorsed by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and the National Rural Health Association, has been referred to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration.

“Congress must do more to incentivize medical students to move to underserved areas after they graduate,” said Rep. Kuster. The congresswoman said she was proud to help introduce the bill “to increase the number of medical training sites in our rural communities, prepare doctors for the unique challenges of serving high-need populations, and bring more well-trained physicians to underserved areas.”