On May 3, Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) President Mike Sevilla, MD, wrote to Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman asking for their support for the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (S.1024/H.R.2255), legislation to strengthen the healthcare workforce with qualified physicians and nurses to help address the nation’s healthcare workforce shortage. The American Academy of Family Physicians has also written in support of this legislation.
Dr. Sevilla’s letter states in part, “Family physicians are acutely aware of the current shortage of primary care physicians across the country and the important role International Medical Graduates (IMGs) play in addressing this shortage. Particularly during the COVID-19 crisis, the ability to recapture 15,000 unused employment-based physician immigrant visas from prior fiscal years would enable our physicians to have the support they need and our patients to have the care they deserve.”
The letter continues, “IMGs play a vital role in caring for some of the most vulnerable populations in the United States and in Ohio. IMGs make up more than 22% of active family physicians, and they are more likely to practice in rural, low socio-economic status, and non-white communities. In fact, IMGs are twice as likely to practice in health professional shortage areas. By increasing the number of visas available to IMGs, these vulnerable populations in Ohio will be better served and the overall health care system will be bolstered.”
The original request for an OAFP letter of support came from Physicians for American Healthcare Access.