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LOWELL, MA – Yesterday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee held a hearing on the Bolstering Infectious Outbreaks (BIO) Preparedness Workforce Act, legislation introduced by Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) and Congressman David B. McKinley (R-WV-01). The bipartisan bill would strengthen the bio-preparedness and infectious diseases workforce that has proven critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the hearing, Trahan questioned Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, a board member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Infectious Diseases Division Chief at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, about the need for the BIO Preparedness Workforce Act. Footage of Trahan’s line of questioning and Dr. Marrazzo’s answers can be accessed by clicking HERE or the image below. 

“I am concerned about the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases on underserved populations, including our communities of color,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “And it's important to increase access to culturally-competent health care, particularly during a pandemic or another public health emergency. Can you elaborate on why a more diverse infectious diseases workforce is important to advancing health equity?”

“A more diverse workforce really addresses a need for a culturally-competent workforce...we do better, we resonate stronger with providers and people who look like us, and who understand our specific health challenges. So getting a more equitable distribution of ID (infectious diseases) professionals — not just geographically, but also across these different strata of society — is really going to be critical to reach the patients that we need to reach,” Dr. Marrazzo answered.

“I don’t think anything has illustrated the need for a team approach more than this pandemic,” Dr. Marrazzo continued. “We’ve all felt it very, very urgently. In addition to physicians, you need a team of health care professionals, and those include: clinical laboratory professionals, infection preventionists, ID-trained pharmacists, advanced practice nurses, and physician’s assistants. All of these folks are really critical to staff the sort of workforce that we need to deal with these things — and, very importantly, all of these professionals are included in the BIO Preparedness Workforce Act.”

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed glaring gaps and weaknesses in America’s ability to respond to a public health emergency caused by infectious diseases, including insufficient preparedness and response workforce capacity at health care facilities. Infectious diseases physicians are key when preparing for or responding to a pandemic, as they are often tasked with leading physician teams tackling a public health crisis and caring for individual patients suffering from serious infectious diseases. However, the United States is facing a serious shortage of infectious diseases physicians, a problem that has exacerbated the spread of COVID-19 and jeopardized future pandemic preparedness.

Trahan and McKinley introduced the BIO Preparedness Workforce Act to incentivize prospective physicians to choose the critically necessary infectious diseases specialty by finally making it financially feasible. Specifically, the bipartisan legislation would establish a new loan repayment program for health care professionals who spend at least half of their time engaged in bio-preparedness and response activities or providing infectious diseases care. Further, the bill aims to increase the number of underrepresented minority individuals serving as bio-preparedness or infectious diseases physicians.

More information on the BIO Preparedness Workforce Act can be accessed HERE. A digital copy of the legislation can be accessed HERE.

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