Senate Passes Bipartisan Winter Bill to Increase Health Care Access for Rural Colorado
Legislation will address health care workforce shortage, improve patient outcomes
DENVER, CO – The Senate today passed a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senator Faith Winter, D-Westminster, that would encourage and support students who wish to pursue health care careers and practice in rural Colorado to better serve patients.
SB22-172, cosponsored by Senator Bob Rankin, R-Carbondale, would establish the Colorado Rural Health Care Workforce Initiative to expand the number of health care professionals practicing in Colorado's rural or frontier counties.
“Everyone deserves access to high quality, affordable health care, but for many folks in rural Colorado, accessing that care can be challenging,” said Winter. “With this bill, we will be able to encourage more people to enter the health care field so we can address the workforce shortage in regions of our state that are struggling to provide adequate care to patients. Ultimately, the bill will help us expand access to health care and build a healthier Colorado for all.”
The initiative established by the legislation would allow an institution of higher education to establish a health care rural track or expand an existing track within a health care professional credential or degree program.
The bill outlines how institutions of higher education can use funding from this program, including compensation for staff, scholarships, and housing costs for participating students. Students participating in the rural track program are eligible for a scholarship if they commit to practicing in a rural or frontier county for two years.
The bill also establishes a Rural Program Office in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, which can provide guidance for participating institutions, develop a relevant curriculum, and evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative.
SB22-172 seeks to serve the two thirds of Colorado’s 64 counties that are designated rural or frontier – most of which are currently described as primary care, oral health and mental health shortage areas.
SB22-172 now moves to the House for further consideration. Track the progress of the bill HERE.