[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 25, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S160-S161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. INOUYE (for himself, Mr. Reed, and Mr. Begich):
  S. 48. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
the participation of pharmacists in National Health Services Corps 
programs, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize the need for 
inclusion of pharmacists in the National Health Services Corps, NHSC, 
student loan repayment program. It is imperative that our Nation focus 
its efforts on increased access to affordable, high quality healthcare 
for our Nation's underserved communities. Today's pharmacist graduates 
with a professional doctorate degree. My home State of Hawaii is home 
to our only school of pharmacy program located at the University of 
Hawaii at Hilo and this year will mark the school's very first 
graduating class. Pharmacists are vital to our intent of increasing 
access to patient-centered, team-based healthcare for all individuals. 
They collaborate with providers across the continuum of care to improve 
medication-use related outcomes, provides access to prevention and 
wellness screening that, among others, can reduce tobacco use and 
increase immunization rates all of which support provider effectiveness 
and organizational efficiencies. The integration of the pharmacist 
across the continuum of care helps increase access to primary and 
preventive care and allows for better management of chronic disease. 
Pharmacists support prescribers by focusing on the management of 
medications preventing adverse events that lead to avoidable emergency 
room visits and hospital admissions. This collaborative effort among 
healthcare providers helps improve clinical and economic outcomes and 
increases patient satisfaction with their care.
  The current approach of recruiting and retaining primary care 
practitioners may limit access to robust patient-centered, team-based 
care by patients in underserved communities. Today over 88 percent of 
pharmacy students borrow over $107,000 to help them pay for their 
education. The incorporation of comprehensive pharmacy services in 
these particular communities is a primary objective of the Health 
Resources and Services Administration patient-safety and clinical 
pharmacy services collaborative. Making pharmacists eligible to 
participate in NHSC loan repayment program will ensure that the 
reorganization of our healthcare system envisioned in legislation, 
federal action, and community-based models all benefit from patient-
centered, team-based models of care that integrate comprehensive 
pharmacy services.
  I urge you to consider the benefits of including pharmacists in the 
NHSC student loan repayment program.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 48

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Pharmacist Student Loan 
     Repayment Eligibility Act of 2011''.

[[Page S161]]

     SEC. 2. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS; PARTICIPATION OF 
                   PHARMACISTS IN LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

       (a) National Health Service Corps.--Section 331(b) of the 
     Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d(b)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``nursing and other 
     schools of the health professions,'' and inserting ``nursing, 
     pharmacy, and other schools of the health professions,''; and
       (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and physician 
     assistants who have an interest and a commitment to providing 
     primary health care,'' and inserting ``physician assistants, 
     and pharmacists who have an interest and commitment to 
     providing primary health care,''.
       (b) National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.--
     Section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     254l-1) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``and physician 
     assistants'' and inserting ``physician assistants, and 
     pharmacists''; and
       (2) in subsection (b)(1)--
       (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``dentistry, or 
     another health profession,'' and inserting ``dentistry, 
     pharmacy, or another health profession,''; and
       (B) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking ``dentistry, or 
     other health profession'' and inserting ``dentistry, 
     pharmacy, or other health profession''.
       (c) Corps Personnel.--Section 333(e) of the Public Health 
     Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254f(e)) is amended by striking 
     ``dentistry, or any other health profession'' and inserting 
     ``dentistry, pharmacy, or any other health profession''.
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