Urge Congress to Increase Funding for Title VII PCTE and provide direct support to Academic Administrative Units (AAUs)!

In 2023, HRSA's Congressional Budget Justification indicated a shift away from funding medical schools under the PCTE Program, explicitly eliminating AAU grant funding. This change raises serious concerns about the future of primary care education and research. The need for additional funding extends beyond just AAUs. Both residencies and medical school departments require financial support to address various challenges, including faculty retention, public health competencies, student recruitment into primary care, curriculum development, health equity concerns, and increasing the number of full-scope primary care physicians.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report highlighted the chronic underfunding of Title VII programs. Despite the proven benefits of Title VII investments in improving patient outcomes, its funding has been reduced to less than 10% of total Graduate Medical Education (GME) funding since the 1960s. Title VII primary care training grants are crucial for developing a workforce capable of caring for vulnerable populations and addressing health equity issues. Expanding the number of medical students choosing primary care careers is critical, and reaching more primary care medical school departments is essential for innovating training methods, conducting research on increasing primary care production, and disseminating best practices. 

For these reasons, we support a funding increase of at least $59 million for the (PCTE) program.  We also support explicit funding for AAUs.  The Council of Academic Family Medicine (CAFM) has made progress in gaining support for AAU funding, as evidenced by supportive language in the FY24 Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) report and the congressional joint explanatory statement of the final FY24 LHHS bill. For FY26 we support specific funding for AAUs as part of the PCTE program. This funding is essential for supporting the primary care pipeline and addressing the healthcare needs of communities across the nation. Your voice can make a difference in securing the future of primary care education and practice in the United States.

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