After a bipartisan push led by Senator Reverend Warnock, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved funding for a new program to address Georgia’s health care workforce shortages: Strengthening The Reinvestment Of a Necessary-workforce in Georgia (GA-STRONG)

This program will direct $746 million in federal funding to be dispersed to eligible teaching hospitals

Senator Reverend Warnock was joined by Senator Jon Ossoff and Congressman Buddy Carter to lead the bipartisan effort to gain approval of GA-STRONG

Senator Reverend Warnock: “I am proud to see that my efforts to secure GA-STRONG’s approval were successful, and I won’t stop working at the federal level to help our hospitals hire, train, and retain the strong and diverse health care workforce that Georgians urgently need”

Washington D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) celebrated the approval of federal funding for a new program to address Georgia’s health care workforce shortages: Strengthening The Reinvestment Of a Necessary-workforce in Georgia (GA-STRONG) program. The program will direct $746 in federal funding toward teaching hospitals in Georgia to develop a more diverse health care workforce, including geographic areas with health care workforce shortages. Senator Warnock led a bipartisan push with Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Congressman Buddy Carter (R-GA-1) in August 2022, urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to approve GA-STRONG.

“Georgia is facing a critical shortage of nurses, physicians, and emergency medical personnel, preventing our communities from accessing vital health care,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.“I am proud to see that my efforts to secure GA-STRONG’s approval were successful, and I won’t stop working at the federal level to help our hospitals hire, train, and retain the strong and diverse health care workforce that Georgians urgently need.”

According to the Georgia Department of Community Health, the GA-STRONG program is founded on the idea that a strong health care workforce is essential to ensuring access to quality care. The program will support retention of Georgia’s existing health care workforce, development of the next generation of health care providers, and efforts to diversify our current and future workforce to represent communities across the state. 

A lifelong proponent for strengthening affordable health care access, Senator Warnock has advocated tirelessly for greater investment in our health care workforce. In December 2022, he delivered major victories for Georgia in the FY23 government funding bill, securing critical, robust federal investments to support health care workforce development and increase access to health care across the state. In November 2022, Senator Warnock also delivered $1.9 million in American Rescue Plan funding to construct health care facilities in rural Georgia. Additionally, Senator Warnock launched an inquiry to CMS in June 2022, seeking the approval of Georgia Advancing Innovation to Deliver Equity (GA-AIDE), which would help more low-income Georgians access quality health care services. GA-AIDE was approved by CMS in July 2022.

###