Watch the full hearing here
Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC) SVP/Clinical Director Margaret Flinter, PhD, APRN, and Norma Quinones, LPN II, site coordinator for the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA) at Clinica Family Health, testified today on “Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage.” The hearing was held before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety.
In his closing remarks, Subcommittee Chairman Senator John Hickenlooper said, “I can’t remember a more interesting panel with such clear translation of your experiences and your lives into really valuable testimony that we will take going forward.”
Dr. Flinter testified on the importance of postgraduate residency and fellowship training programs for Nurse Practitioners:
“In my work with the [National Nurse Practitioner Residency & Fellowship Training Consortium], I have visited NP Residency programs across the country, from the state of Washington to Maine, from Hawaii to Mississippi and many points in between. I am deeply impressed by the commitment of boards, executive and clinical leaders, and front line clinicians and staff to this model — because it works,” she said. “It works in attracting those for whom the desire to serve and care for people as a primary care provider is both a profession and a calling, and it works in retaining them in challenging practices as primary care providers — and as future leaders in healthcare. These programs need federal support to continue this work, and for new programs to start.”
