EMPOWER for Health Act was reported by committee and awaits a floor vote

Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness for Health Act or the EMPOWER for Health Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 and revises a range of programs that provide funding and other resources to support recruiting, training, and retaining individuals to work or teach in the health professions. These programs are administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). For instance, the bill revises an educational loan repayment program for certain pediatric health specialists that agree to practice in areas with shortages of such specialists. The bill (1) requires direct clinical care to comprise at least half of the required service hours, (2) broadens the eligible specialties to include any pediatric mental or behavioral health discipline HRSA determines appropriate, and (3) specifically authorizes focusing care on children enrolled in Medicaid. Also, the bill specifically authorizes grants to entities such as states and health professions schools for supporting the nursing workforce by providing analysis, technical assistance, and best practices for alleviating nursing workforce shortages. Finally, the bill expands grants for recruiting youth into public health careers to include outreach to middle school students (current law only includes outreach to high school students).