Workforce Policy Leadership
Health centers depend on a strong, stable workforce to meet growing patient demand, yet persistent shortages are putting that access at risk. ACH is addressing these challenges by driving policy solutions while supporting workforce innovation that strengthens recruitment, training, and long-term sustainability.
From policy to practice, ACH is strengthening the workforce pipeline to protect access to care in communities that need it most.
Workforce Impact
34 million
Patients served by community health centers nationwide
92 million
People living in a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area
64 million
People living in a dental Health Professional Shortage Area
70,610
Projected national shortage of full-time primary care physicians by 2038
Why Workforce Matters
Community health centers are more than care providers—they are job creators in the communities they serve. They create career pathways, train future providers, and build resilient teams committed to serving underserved populations.
Meeting today’s demands and preparing for the future requires federal policies that support workforce development, resilience, retention, and long-term career pathways.
Without meaningful investment:
- Patients will face longer wait times and fewer care options
- Health centers may be forced to reduce services or delay growth
- Rural and underserved communities risk losing critical access to care
A strong workforce is what keeps health center doors open and ensures care remains available where it is needed most.
Leading a National Workforce Coalition
ACH created and leads the Alliance to Strengthen America’s Health Workforce for the Underserved, a national coalition focused on advancing workforce solutions for communities with the greatest need.
Through this alliance, ACH is bringing together partners to elevate workforce challenges, align on policy solutions, and drive coordinated advocacy to strengthen the health care workforce serving underserved populations.
Workforce Policy Challenges
Despite their central role in the health care safety net, community health centers face significant workforce barriers:
- Recruitment and Retention: Health centers often compete with larger health systems that can offer higher salaries, making it harder to recruit and retain clinicians and staff.
- Provider Shortages: Primary care, dental care, and behavioral health workforce shortages limit patient access and increase pressure on existing care teams.
- Burnout and Workforce Resilience: Health center staff are caring for patients with increasingly complex needs while navigating heavy workloads, administrative burden, and limited resources.
- Training Pipeline Gaps: More investment is needed in CHC-based training programs, mentorship, and career pathway initiatives that help build the next generation of the health center workforce.
- Immigration and Workforce Pipeline Uncertainty: Changes to visa programs and federal student loan policies may further strain the workforce pipeline. Higher H-1B visa costs, shorter work authorization periods, and reduced loan repayment support could make it harder for community health centers, especially in rural and underserved areas, to recruit and retain clinicians.
- Reimbursement and Sustainability: Current reimbursement does not always reflect the true cost of staffing, recruitment, retention, and competitive compensation.
ACH Workforce Policy Framework
ACH supports policies that strengthen and sustain the community health center workforce by investing in people, training, infrastructure, and long-term sustainability.
Developing the Community Health Workforce Act
ACH urges Congress to advance the Developing the Community Health Workforce Act (H.R. 8629), which would improve recruitment and retention through increased loan repayment, create CHC workforce pipelines, expand CHC-hospital Graduate Medical Education partnerships, and grow the behavioral health workforce.
Expand Workforce Pathways
Invest in and increase funding for the National Health Service Corps to $950 million per year so health centers can recruit, retain, and support the workforce their patients depend on.
Improve Recruitment and Retention
Expand loan repayment and scholarship programs and ensure predictable federal funding that allows health centers to offer competitive compensation, including supporting funding for the NurseCorps Scholarship Program.
Support Workforce Resilience and Innovation
Invest in burnout prevention, leadership training, flexible staffing models, peer support, and mental health resources for the health center workforce, including funding for the programs in the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.
Strengthen Training Partnerships
Recognize health centers as essential training sites and support funding for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program to train healthcare professionals in community-based settings, focusing on underserved areas to improve access to care.
ACH Workforce Policy Impact
1. Shaping Federal Policy
ACH is helping lead the push for federal legislation and policies that directly address the workforce needs of community health centers.
- Helped create the Developing the Community Health Workforce Act (H.R. 8629) to improve recruitment and retention of the health center workforce.
- Submitted formal comments to the U.S. Department of Education to strengthen workforce training pathways and improve alignment with community-based care delivery.
- Highlighting emerging risks like immigration and student loan changes that could further strain the health center workforce.
Impact: Ensures workforce priorities for health centers are reflected in federal policy development and emerging legislation.
3. Elevating CHCs as Workforce Pipeline Leaders
Health centers are uniquely positioned to build local career pathways, mentor future providers, and train a workforce that reflects the communities they serve.
Impact: CHCs are increasingly recognized as essential partners in solving the nation’s primary care workforce shortage.
5. Leading National Workforce Collaboration
ACH created and leads the Alliance to Strengthen America’s Health Workforce for the Underserved to unify national stakeholders around shared workforce priorities and drive coordinated federal action.
Impact: Expands ACH’s influence beyond its membership and strengthens a collective, national voice for workforce investment in underserved communities.
2. Centering Workforce as an Access Issue
ACH frames workforce not just as a staffing challenge, but as a patient access issue. When health centers cannot recruit and retain staff, patients face longer wait times, fewer services, and reduced access to care.
Impact: Policymakers better understand that workforce investment is essential to keeping care available in underserved communities.
4. Advocating for Sustainable Funding
ACH continues to make the case that workforce solutions require predictable, long-term federal investment — including increased support for the National Health Service Corps and CHC-based training programs.
Impact: Workforce sustainability is being connected to broader conversations about health center funding, access, and long-term system resilience.
6. Investing in Workforce Solutions on the Ground
ACH is not only advancing policy but also investing directly in workforce innovation through the Community Health Entrepreneur Challenge and projects like Mountain Comprehensive Corporation’s R.A.I.S.E. Program.
This investment supports health centers in testing new workforce development approaches and generating scalable solutions for the Health Center Program. In rural Kentucky, this work is already demonstrating impact by helping strengthen workforce pipelines, expand access to care, and support long-term sustainability for the community.
Impact: Workforce investment doesn’t just fill positions—it transforms how care is delivered and strengthens entire communities.
About ACH
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