Dr. Ruiz Raises Regional Health Care Concerns to Biden Administration Officials in Congressional Hearing 

Washington D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) brought regional health issues to the forefront of a Congressional Hearing with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. After meeting with local health leaders earlier this month at the El Centro Regional Medical Center, Dr. Ruiz raised concerns discussed in this meeting to the Secretary, such as improving health care access in rural medically underserved communities.

"A shortage of health care providers is one of the biggest challenges to health care access that we face, and the outlook is not good," Dr. Ruiz said in the hearing. "We need to make sure that we are increasing provider access in the areas that need it the most. I recently met with regional leaders from Eastern Coachella Valley and Imperial County, two of the most underserved areas of California, to discuss health care challenges that our areas face. We must ensure that these areas do not get left behind."

Today's hearing with the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health focused on the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget. In the hearing, Dr. Ruiz advocated for increased support for the Teaching Health Center Program, which helps get more providers into underserved areas. This is crucial to improving access to care for rural communities, especially as the nation faces a looming shortage in providers. According to research by the Association of American Medical Colleges, by 2034 we will have a physician shortage between 37,800 and 124,000.

You can watch Dr. Ruiz's full remarks here.

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