Rural Residency Planning and Development Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill would provide 12.7 million dollars every year from 2027 to 2031 to help start new doctor training programs in rural towns. These programs, called residencies, are where medical school graduates get hands-on experience before practicing on their own.
• The goal is to bring more doctors to rural areas that currently do not have enough medical professionals. To qualify for the money, a program must ensure that doctors-in-training spend more than half of their training time working in rural communities.
• The funding would focus on high-need areas like family medicine, mental health, and general surgery. It also specifically targets maternal health and pregnancy care to help more rural women get the medical attention they need.
• Local hospitals, health clinics, and Tribal organizations would be eligible to apply for these three-year grants. There would also be a separate program to help these groups with the paperwork and planning needed to set up a successful training site.

Impact Analysis

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