I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1656 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to support initiatives focused on addressing pediatric public health disparities in children’s 

hospitals graduate medical education programs. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 8, 2019 

Mr. SMUCKER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants 

to support initiatives focused on addressing pediatric 

public health disparities in children’s hospitals graduate 

medical education programs. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening our Pe5 diatric Workforce Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) Our Nation is facing a critical physician 

2 shortage. 

3 (2) The predicted supply of pediatric medical 

4 specialists is not expected to meet demand over the 

5 next ten years, which may make it more difficult to 

6 provide children with complex or special health con7 ditions the care they need. 

8 (3) Research reflects that poverty can have a 

9 negative impact on the long-term care outcomes of 

10 children. Poverty conditions can contribute to poor 

11 nutrition, chronic illness, obesity and delayed devel12 opment. Ensuring pediatric physicians incorporate 

13 anti-poverty initiatives into their medical training 

14 can help improve the health of children living in pov15 erty. 

16 (4) The purpose of this Act is to provide addi17 tional assistance to the Children’s Hospital Graduate 

18 Medical Education (CHGME) program for the pur19 pose of incorporating initiatives to address pediatric 

20 health disparities. 


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1 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM TO INCORPORATE PEDIATRIC 

2 ANTI-POVERTY INITIATIVES INTO RESIDENT 

3 TRAINING. 

4 Section 340E of the Public Health Service Act (42 

5 U.S.C. 256e) is amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing new subsection: 

7 ‘‘(i) GRANT PROGRAM TO INCORPORATE PEDIATRIC

8 ANTI-POVERTY INITIATIVES INTO RESIDENT TRAIN9 ING.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

11 through the Administrator of the Health Resources 

12 and Services Administration, may, for a year (begin13 ning with 2020), make grants to children’s hospitals 

14 described in paragraph (2) with approved graduate 

15 medical residency training programs that are other16 wise receiving funding under this section for such 

17 year, for the startup costs associated with developing 

18 and incorporating initiatives that address pediatric 

19 health disparities, including access to care, poverty, 

20 opioid overuse, food insecurity, and child abuse. 

21 ‘‘(2) CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS DESCRIBED.—For 

22 purposes of this subsection, a children’s hospital de23 scribed in this paragraph is, with respect to a year, 

24 a children’s hospital that is— 


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1 ‘‘(A) located in an area designated as a 

2 health professional shortage area under section 

3 332; 

4 ‘‘(B) receiving payments pursuant to sub5 section (h) for such year; and 

6 ‘‘(C) not receiving a bonus payment under 

7 subsection (h)(6)(B) for such year. 

8 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

9 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

10 this subsection, not more than $10,000,000 for each 

11 of fiscal years 2020 through 2027.’’. 

Æ 


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