Help Ensure Children Have Access to Pediatric Rheumatologists:
Co-sponsor the Ensuring Children’s Access to Specialty Care Act
There are fewer than 350 board-certified, practicing pediatric rheumatologists in the U.S., primarily clustered in and around large cities, creating a severe shortage in most of the country. As a result, the hundreds of thousands of patients with juvenile rheumatic diseases have severely limited access to the care and treatment they need. Loan repayment and scholarship programs can help incentivize physicians to specialize in pediatric rheumatology and practice in rural and under-served areas.
What the shortage of pediatric rheumatologists looks like:
· 8 states have no pediatric rheumatologist, and 5 states have only 1.
· Only one-quarter of children with arthritis are currently able to see a pediatric rheumatologist.
· The workforce is aging, with the average pediatric rheumatologist in his or her low-to-mid 50’s.
· A child with rheumatic disease is required to travel an average of 57 miles to be seen by a pediatric rheumatologist compared to an average of 25 miles for other pediatric subspecialties.
Why access to pediatric rheumatologists is critical:
· Pediatricians tend not to be adequately trained to care for children with juvenile arthritis.
· Adult rheumatologists are not trained to deal with pediatric issues like the stunted bone growth that can result from arthritis and its treatment, or the special requirements of providing treatment to an adolescent.
· Early diagnosis and treatment is important, and it can be difficult for providers not trained in pediatric rheumatology to diagnose arthritis in children.
· Childhood arthritis can range from mild to life-threatening, so early diagnosis is important for disease management and disease progression.
· Treatment of arthritis is complex and there is much potential co-morbidity, such as uveitis (arthritis of the eye) that left untreated can lead to blindness and TMJ.
What Congress can do to address this issue:
Co-sponsor H.R. 1859 in the House of Representatives and S. 2782 in the Senate, the Ensuring Children’s Access to Specialty Care Act. S. 2782 was introduced by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Jack Reed (D-RI) in the Senate and Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Representative Chris Collins (R-NY), which would make pediatric subspecialists like pediatric rheumatologists eligible for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC).
The NHSC provides scholarship and loan repayment to health care providers in exchange for service in rural and under-served areas. This bill would help ensure children in areas with pediatric rheumatology shortages have access to providers best suited to meet their needs. More than 40 national organizations have pledged their support for this bill.
Summer 2016
H.R. 1859 Co-sponsor List
Rep. Amodei, Mark (R-NV-02)
Rep. Ashford, Brad (D-NE-02)
Rep. Barr, Andy (R-KY-06)
Rep. Brady, Robert (D-PA-01)
Rep. Brooks, Susan (R-IN-05)
Rep. Bucshon, Larry (R-IN-08)
Rep. Capuano, Michael (D-MA-07)
Rep. Castor, Kathy (D-FL-14)
Rep. Chabot, Steve (R-OH-01)
Rep. Clarke, Yvette (D-NY-09)
Rep. Coffman, Mike (R-CO-06)
Rep. Comstock, Barbara (R-VA-10)
Rep. Cook, Paul (R-CA-08)
Rep. Courtney, Joe (D-CT-02)
Rep. Cramer, Kevin (R-ND-AL)
Rep. DeLauro, Rosa (D-CT-03)
Rep. Doyle, Michael (D-PA-14)
Rep. Eshoo, Anna (D-CA-18)
Rep. Esty, Elizabeth (D-CT-05)
Rep. Fattah, Chaka (D-PA-02)
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Michael (R-PA-08)
Rep. Foster, Bill (D-IL-11)
Rep. Gallego, Ruben (D-AZ-07)
Rep. Gibson, Christopher (R-NY-19)
Rep. Griffith, Morgan (R-VA-09)
Rep. Hastings, Alcee (D-FL-20)
Rep. Heck, Joseph (R-NV-03)
Rep. Herrera Beutler, Jaime (R-WA-03)
Rep. Jolly, David (R-FL-13)
Rep. Jones, Jr., Walter (R-NC-03)
Rep. Joyce, David (R-OH-14)
Rep. Katko, John (R-NY-24)
Rep. Kennedy, Joseph P., III (D-MA-04)
Rep. King, Peter (R-NY-02)
Rep. Kuster, Ann (D-NH-02)
Rep. Lance, Leonard (R-NJ-07)
Rep. Langevin, James (D-RI-02)
Rep. Lewis, John (D-GA-05)
Rep. Lieu, Ted (D-CA-33)
Rep. Lofgren, Zoe (D-CA-19)
Rep. Marchant, Kenny (R-TX-24)
Rep. Meehan, Patrick (R-PA-07)
Rep. Napolitano, Grace (D-CA-32)
Rep. Norton, Eleanor Holmes (D-DC-AL)
Rep. Olson, Pete (R-TX-22)
Rep. Pocan, Mark (D-WI-02)
Rep. Pompeo, Mike (R-KS-04)
Rep. Quigley, Mike (D-IL-05)
Rep. Rangel, Charles (D-NY-13)
Rep. Rice, Kathleen (D-NY-04)
Rep. Rohrabacher, Dana (R-CA-48)
Rep. Rush, Bobby (D-IL-01)
Rep. Ryan, Tim (D-OH-13)
Rep. Schakowsky, Janice (D-IL-09)
Rep. Schiff, Adam (D-CA-28)
Rep. Smith, Christopher (R-NJ-04)
Rep. Swalwell, Eric (D-CA-15)
Rep. Thompson, Glenn (R-PA-05)
Rep. Tonko, Paul (D-NY-20)
Rep. Velazquez, Nydia (D-NY-07)
Rep. Walberg, Tim (R-MI-07)
Rep. Walden, Greg (R-OR-02)
Rep. Walter, Mimi (R-CA-45)
Rep. Walz, Timothy (D-MN-01)
Rep. Wenstrup, Brad (R-OH-02)
Rep. Yoder, Kevin (R-KS-03)
Rep. Young, David (R-IA-03)
Rep. Young, Don (R-AK-At Large)
Rep. Zeldin, Lee (R-NY-01)
S.2782 Co-sponsor List
Sen. Blunt, Roy (R-MO)
Sen. Reed, Jack (D-RI)
Sen. Klobuchar, Amy (D-MN)
Sen. Donnelly, Joe (D-IN)
List as of 7/6/16