The Biden administration will invest $1.5 billion from the COVID-19 aid package in addressing the shortage of health care workers in underserved communities, The Associated Press reports.
The funding, which was announced Monday by Vice President Kamala Harris, will go to the National Health Service Corps, Nurse Corps and Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery programs — "all federal programs that offer scholarship and loan repayments for health care students and workers if they pledge to work in underserved and high-risk communities," per AP.
The money will support over 22,700 providers, which marks the "largest number of providers enrolled in these programs in history," and will use funds from the American Rescue Plan as well as other sources.
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"Our nation must invest in a health care workforce that looks like America, and provide access to equitable health care for all Americans," said Harris while announcing the contribution.
"COVID-19 did not invent health disparities," she added. "Just ask any healthcare professional and she will tell you: Health disparities existed long before this virus reached our shores. Health disparities stem from broader systemic inequities."
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