Kamala Harris To Deliver $1.5B Biden Plan To Address Health Worker Shortage

Vice President Kamala Harris Monday will announce Monday that the Biden administration will be investing $1.5 billion dollars into building the nation’s healthcare workforce.

According to the White House, Harris will detail how the administration will direct the funding to National Health Service Corps, Nurse Corps and Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery programs, all federal programs that offer scholarship and loan repayments for health care students and workers if they pledge to work in underserved and high-risk communities.

These funds will be drawn from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that was passed by Congress in March. The White House says that this will be a historic investment, creating what it calls the largest field strength through these programs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a spotlight on the disparities in healthcare provisions to underserved and minority communities that the Biden administration aims to address.

Earlier this year, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, warned that minority communities were not having enough resources to distribute COVID-19 vaccines as one example. However, earlier studies showed how Americans of color were at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 and of experiencing more serious effects, including death and hospitalizations.

Recently, COVID-19 cases have been on the rise again in parts of the country, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast. The onset of winter and the accompanying flu season has raised concerns further that cases can spike further.

Handing the responsibility for this address to Harris may also tamp down on rumors that the vice president was being underutilized or sidelined by members of the administration.

In an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, Harris rejected the idea that she was being underused, but CNN reports that her office has been beset by rivalries, confusion, and staff turnover. It added that Harris herself felt she was kept away from anything politically meaningful.