Press Releases
February 28, 2008
Conrad Bill Brings More Docs to North Dakota
Senator's Legislation Expands Popular Conrad State 30 Program
Washington – Senator Kent Conrad introduced bipartisan legislation to renew and expand the Conrad State 30 program, a national initiative that brings doctors to underserved, rural areas plagued by a shortage of physicians.
“We face a critical shortage of doctors in rural America and millions of people can’t get the health care they need. The Conrad State 30 program is working to turn the tide and allow people who live in rural areas in North Dakota — and across the nation — to have better access to quality care,” Senator Conrad said.
The physician shortage in America is a growing crisis. By 2020, some projections show the nation may fall short by as many as 200,000 doctors. This shortage will be felt hardest in rural communities.
The Conrad State 30 Program has brought more than 100 doctors to North Dakota communities that otherwise would have experienced a lack of physician coverage. But the program will expire unless reauthorized by Congress this year.
“The
Conrad State 30 program is saving lives. Without it, patients across North Dakota would be forced to travel great distances to
obtain the quality care they need,” said Mary Amundson, an assistant professor at UND’s Center for Rural Health. “It is vital that Conrad State 30 is not only reauthorized by Congress, but made permanent as soon as possible.”
“This wonderful program has allowed me to put my skills and training to use helping children in the Fargo community and up and down the Red River Valley,” said Dr. Vytautas Sapiega, a pediatrician at MeritCare Children's Hospital in Fargo, and a beneficiary of the Conrad State 30 program.
Senator Conrad created the popular program through legislation he first introduced in 1994. Under Conrad State 30, foreign-born but American-trained doctors provide health care to people living in underserved areas in exchange for an extension of their stay in the United States. Background and security checks are made when the physicians first enter the country; doctors must agree to serve the community for a minimum of three years under the program. Most typically serve in rural hospitals and clinics.
Senator Sam Brownback, a Republican from Kansas, co-sponsored the Conrad legislation.
