Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative John D. Dingell (D-MI15) released the following statement on the passage of H.R. 1852, Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2011, which would reauthorize the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education (GME) program through fiscal year 2016.  The bill passed this afternoon by voice vote.

“Since I was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, I have always strived to ensure that our nation’s children – the future of our country – have access to high-quality, effective medical care.  

“Reauthorizing the Children’s Hospital GME program is a must. Since its creation in 1999, this program has been a success for hospitals, children, educators and students alike to promote better care for our young people.  The significant contribution this program has made to our Nation’s health care workforce, along with the historic investment nation’s children health care have brought broad bipartisan support for its continuation over the years, and I am proud to join with my colleagues to support it again as a cosponsor of H.R. 1852, the Children’s Hospital GME Reauthorization Act of 2011.

 “I was disappointed that the President’s fiscal year 2012 budget chose to terminate this program.  The Children’s Hospital GME program has proven to be extremely successful given that its recipient hospitals make up only one percent of all hospitals, but train 40 percent of all pediatricians and 43 percent of all pediatric specialists.  In addition, its funding has enabled children’s teaching hospitals to reverse a 13 percent decline in pediatric residencies that occurred prior to the program’s enactment and enabled these teaching hospitals to expand their programs by 35 percent in response to local, state and national needs.

 “As I have said before, children are 25 percent of the population in our country, but they are 100 percent of the future.  Bipartisan measures to help children and further graduate medical education opportunities are proof positive that working together for the greater good, does great things for our nation and our future.  I will continue to lend my support to programs that are dedicated to providing and improving the quality of health care our nation’s children need and deserve, as well as enhancing education opportunities for our future health professionals. ”

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