Feb. 07, 2025
HARRISBURG — Rep. Kathy L. Rapp (R-Warren/Crawford/Forest), Republican chair of the House Health Committee, announced her bill to provide financial incentives to recruit rural health care providers has unanimously passed the House Health Committee.
House Bill 157, the reintroduction of House Bill 2382 from last session, would create the Rural Health Care Grant Program, which would allow specified facilities, including rural hospitals, to help certain providers in paying off their student loans.
“Our rural communities continue to face a health care crisis,” Rapp said. “Rural health centers and hospitals are struggling to keep their doors open because of difficulties in recruiting providers. The Rural Health Care Grant Program is a win-win. It helps hospitals and health centers bring in skilled workers and helps the providers by covering some of their high student loan costs. Ultimately, the real winners will be our rural communities, which will hopefully have fully staffed teams ready to care for residents.”
To be eligible to receive grant dollars, House Bill 157 would require licensed nurses, physicians, midwives, dentists and dental hygienists to begin practicing at a rural hospital, Federal Qualified Health Center (FQHC), rural health clinic or birth center within six months of accepting a position; be classified as full-time by working 30 hours or more per week, or 130 hours per month; and work in the facility for a minimum of three years.
The Health Committee also unanimously passed five additional pieces of legislation.
House Bill 60, which was amended by Rep. Jamie Walsh (R-Luzerne), would align Pennsylvania law with federal law to permit electronic transfer of certain prescribed controlled substances between pharmacies.
House Bill 409, which was amended by Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa (R-Fayette), would change Pennsylvania law to reflect a new federal law requiring providers to inform patients that they will be receiving their test results in their electronic health record, or that they can ask the provider to mail the results to them.
House Resolution 31 would recognize the week of March 9-15, 2025, as "Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.
House Resolution 33 would recognize the month of April 2025 as "Limb Loss Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
House Resolution 40, sponsored by Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-Washington/Allegheny), would recognize the month of October 2025 as "Dyslexia Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
The measures now head to the full House for consideration.
Representative Kathy Rapp
65th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jake Gillespie
717.772.9834
RepRapp.com / Facebook.com/RepRapp