Federal J-1 Visa program looks to ease physician shortage

PLATTSBURGH | A federal program to recruit rural doctors to northern reaches of the U.S. cut away some of the red tape on Tuesday. The Northern Border Regional Commission (NRBC) announced a new J-1 Visa Waiver Program to ease visa requirements for physicians trained in the United States, allowing them extensions if they serve in rural areas of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The region encompasses 28 counties in New York State, including Clinton, Essex and Franklin. The Northern Border Region is one of three in the country experiencing severe shortage of medical practitioners and healthcare specialists. NRBC has recommended waiver of the "two-year home-country physical presence requirement" for eligible physicians, which would allow the doctors to stay in America and practice medicine here. The announcement was made at the University of Vermont Healthcare Network - Champlain Valley Physician's Hospital (CVPH) by NRBC Co-Chairman Chris Saunders. Appointed by U.S. President Joe Biden, Saunders said NRBC focuses on all aspects of rural economic development, but they don't often make announcements at hospitals. For CVPH, expanding J-1 waivers could mean filling some 20-plus empty physicians' jobs in the coming months. The red tape that has prevented doctors trained in the U.S. from staying here has been a hindrance to hiring, according to hospital officials. Dr. Lisa Mark, UVM Regional Physician Leader and chief medical officer said "now we won't have to say no anymore." With an allocation of only 30 J-1 hires across New York State, she said the network has had to be strategic in waiver requests. "There are over 100 open positions across many specialties," Mark said of the entire UVM health network. There are about 10,000 doctors eligible to work via J-1 waivers, she said. CVPH receives applications on a daily basis from doctors living in the U.S. on J-1 status, staff said. This is an expansion with federal support of an existing program. New York has run its "Conrad 30" waiver program through the state Department of Health for the past few years, an evolution of a program founded about 15 years ago. But it allows only 30 waivers to be distributed throughout New York. NO WAIVER LIMIT Saunders said the NRBC program opened on Dec. 5 and has no J-1 waiver cap. "There is no cap on waivers that the medical community is able to offer," he said. And the federal government will provide widespread support to both parties, the hospitals and new doctors taking open jobs. Saunders said the J-1 Waiver Program was created through a bi-partisan government effort. "It gives me great hope in the ability to work together." At the news conference on Tuesday, Mark Pattison, New York Deputy Secretary of State, said that this state has a long history of being able to amplify medical services with J-1 waivers and has met with success. Investment in the effort began with a budget of $1 million and grew to $140 million to support recruitment and retention. The federal program was modeled after New York's program, part of the Appalachian Regional Commission, that emerged in 2008. The federal effort extends to medical services in three other border states, providing a regional approach. Each state will oversee J-1 waiver applications through various offices. In Vermont, the process works through the Vermont Department of Health, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care. ADDRESSING PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE Federal and hospital officials said they expect hires will begin in earnest once doctors complete their training in the summer of 2024. Many initial hires will be for specialty care, such as anesthesia and urology. "In rural communities like ours, the chronic physician shortage has very real implications for the people we serve," Dr. Mark said. "Longer wait times for appointments, required travel for people who may already have transportation challenges and reduced time with physicians -- all of this impacts the quality of care provided to patients. "The J-1 Waiver program will help alleviate some of these obstacles by making it possible for more physicians to remain in this country and practice." Alice Hyde Medical Center and CVPH President Michelle LeBeau thanked government leaders and elected officials for their support. "This program is a great example of what can be accomplished when we work together to be sure those living in rural areas have equitable access to necessary care." U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) said it is a program he supported for years. "This is just what the doctor ordered to help recruit more highly qualified physicians and a major step to helping address the national healthcare worker shortage we are seeing in rural communities across America and in Upstate NY," Schumer said in a news release. "I am proud to have advocated for this program and to be leading the charge to help the NBRC get the increased support it needs to continue vital programs like this. I will never stop fighting to ensure that every New York community, regardless of its size, has access to the quality medical care it needs." Earlier this year, Schumer announced nearly $11 million in federal funding for twelve projects across the North Country and Upstate New York through the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) – the largest annual investment for Upstate NY in the program's history. The historic increase in funding for the NBRC is a direct result of the funding Schumer was able to deliver in the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law. U.S. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) said J-1 waivers will help provide rural and underserved areas across Upstate New York and the North Country with accessible, quality, and affordable healthcare. "Last week, I heard directly from a NY-21 constituent in Copenhagen about how the physician shortage in her area was affecting her family's access to healthcare. These physicians will provide critical medical services in rural areas of our states currently suffering from physician staffing shortages." In June this year, Congresswoman Stefanik led a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the NBRC for 10 years with an investment of $400 million while making critical reforms to encourage economic development, enhance access to rural healthcare and streamline bureaucratic processes.

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Federal J-1 Visa program looks to ease physician shortage

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