Dean of UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine supports bipartisan bill to address doctor shortages

Jane Carreiro, D.O., vice president for Health Affairs and dean of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNE COM), offered her support for the Training the Next Generation of Primary Care Doctors Act, a bill that would reauthorize and strengthen the successful Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education Program, which trains physicians in underserved, community-based settings.

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced the bill in response to the severe shortage of physicians that has reached crisis levels in a growing number of communities across the United States. “This legislation would extend an important program to address the shortage of primary care doctors, which is especially critical in rural and underserved communities that are often those hardest hit by the opioid epidemic,” said Senator Collins. “I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation to help train the next generation of physicians and ensure all Americans have access to quality health services.”

"The reauthorization and expansion of the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program is a critical step in providing healthcare to our citizens in rural areas, and I commend Senators Collins and Tester for their bipartisan leadership,” said Carreiro. “It is well known that physicians, dentists, and other healthcare providers tend to practice where they are trained. Providing training opportunities in underserved communities through the THCGME Program is an effective way to assure that people living in rural Maine and the millions of others living in underserved communities across America have access to the healthcare they need."

By 2025, the United States is estimated to need more than 100,000 new physicians

to meet the growing demand for health care services across the country. The Training the Next Generation of Primary Care Doctors Act would reauthorize the Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education Program for three years. It would also allow the expansion of new programs within existing teaching health centers as well as the creation of new centers to meet the growing need for community health services.
The University of New England UNE is currently training student doctors, pharmacists, dentists, physician assistants and public health workers in underserved areas of Maine. These students are doing clinical rotations in medical facilities around the state such as Penobscot Community Health Care in Bangor, The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle, and Maine General in Augusta. This proposed legislation would increase opportunities for UNE students to continue that training after graduation through residency programs, increasing the likelihood that they will continue to practice in Maine.

Read the press release from Senator Collins.

To learn more about the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, visit www.une.edu/com

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions