As the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) turns 50 years old, the need for a national program designed to care for the U.S.'s underserved is more apparent than ever. In addition to developing a health care workforce that is diverse and culturally responsive throughout the nation, the NHSC is the U.S.'s best, most efficient and most data-proven clinical care delivery system to ensure well-trained clinicians are paired with communities in need. The NHSC has national impact-clinicians who are caring for the needy serve in every single state in the country as well as on Indian reservations and in correctional facilities. This is not surprising given the need for physical, mental, and oral health care services in both rural and urban locations in communities throughout the United States. The NHSC is funded by a combination of mandatory and discretionary dollars annually, and despite temporary increases in funding, the NHSC is only able to fund approximately 40 of all applications it receives.1 This persistent deficit in NHSC funding has resulted in a perpetual shortfall in filled clinician vacancies in underserved communities across the nation.
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