Press Releases

WASHINGTON –Today, U.S. Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) re-introduced the HIV Epidemic Loan-Repayment Program (HELP) Act. The bill would address the HIV workforce shortage that has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic through loan repayment relief for HIV clinicians and dentists. The HELP Act was originally introduced in the 116th Congress by the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga).

Despite advances, more than 38,000 people are newly diagnosed with HIV each year, and of the 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States, only half are in regular care and benefiting from treatment. As more people need lifelong HIV care, the number of HIV clinicians entering the field falls well short of demand creating a crisis in access to care. The physician specialties providing HIV care are among the lowest paid at a time when medical students graduate with an average of $250,000 in cumulative educational debt. Too many clinicians cannot afford to pursue careers in infectious diseases/HIV. The HELP Act is endorsed by The HIV Medicine Association.

“As we continue to live through a pandemic which has highlighted the need for competent and compassionate health care workers, it is our responsibility to bolster the HIV clinician workforce. The 1.1 million Americans living with HIV deserve access to the highest quality care possible. Passing the HELP Act would bring us one step closer to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States by providing resources to more clinicians to choose to enter this field,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester. “I am proud to join with Congresswoman Barbara Lee as we re-introduce the HELP Act and carry on the legacy of our friend, the late Congressman John Lewis.” 

“Especially during a global pandemic that strained our public health system, it is more crucial than ever that we strengthen the workforce of HIV clinicians who assist individuals in need of lifelong HIV care,” said Rep. Lee, Co-Chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus. “I’m proud to reintroduce the HELP Act to expand and retain the HIV health care workforce by providing financial assistance for student loans. This bill is an important step in our fight to finally achieve an HIV free generation.”

“With the reintroduction of the HELP Act, Congresswoman Blunt Rochester is taking an important step to address the health inequities long evident in the HIV epidemic and brought to the forefront by the COVID-19 pandemic. The loan repayment provided by the HELP Act for service in high need areas will help to grow the clinical workforce where HIV expertise is most needed, which is critical to efforts to end HIV as an epidemic in the United States.”  said Rajesh T. Gandhi, MD, FIDSA, Chair, HIV Medicine Association.

The HELP Act would:

• Support a robust HIV workforce by authorizing a new loan repayment program offering up to $250,000 over five years in loan repayment to physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical pharmacists, and dentists who provide HIV treatment in health professional shortage areas or Ryan White- funded clinical sites.
• Provide more HIV patients access to physicians specializing in HIV treatment by making the field more accessible to clinicians entering the workforce.

###