New York State Budget Restores Funding to Diversity in Medicine Programs

On behalf of all 17 medical schools in New York State, and particularly medical students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine, the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) commends NY State legislators for restoring funding for AMSNY Diversity in Medicine programs in the FY2019 budget to the current year level. The program was facing a 20 percent cut, on top of the 22.5 percent cut sustained last year, and AMSNY is particularly thanks the State Assembly, the Black, Hispanic, Puerto Rican and Asian Legislative Caucus, the Hispanic Task Force, and Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes for understanding this value and advocating for these programs.

The AMSNY Diversity in Medicine programs, funded b

y the NYS Department of Health, have a 94+ percent success rate and have produced hundreds of doctors who often serve in primary care in underserved communities. These state-funded programs are crucial, as a lack of diversity in medicine persists in New York State and the return on investment for New York is enormous. Underrepresented minorities (Black/African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos) make up approximately 31% of the population but only 12% of the state’s physician workforce, according to data from the SUNY Albany Center for Health Workforce Studies.

This lack of representation has implications for medical care across the state, as research shows that patients who have doctors from similar racial or ethnic backgrounds have better medical experiences. Additionally, physicians from underrepresented minority groups are more likely to practice primary care and practice in low-income and underserved areas.

The State’s FY2018-2019 budget also includes $500,000 for diversity in medicine scholarships, which cover the cost of tuition for 1 year for 10 students who graduated from AMSNY post-baccalaureate programs. The cost of medical school tuition is among the biggest barriers to entry for underrepresented in medicine students. AMSNY thanks the Legislature for recognizing the value of assisting individuals who are underrepresented in medicine becoming physicians who in turn commit to working in medically underserved areas of New York State. Read more

NYSTEM & AMSNY

Since 2007, AMSNY has played a key role in advocating for the creation and funding the New York State Stem Cell Science program to foster a strong stem cell research community in New York State and to accelerate the growth of scientific knowledge about stem cell biology and the development of therapies and diagnostic methods. Learn more here.

Positions:

AMSNY Supports A.3704 (Gunther) – S.4033 (Stavisky) to establish a personal income tax credit to community based faculty clinicians who provide clinical preceptorships.

AMSNY Supports A.7351 (Gottfried) – S.5300 (Rivera) to reinstate a tax exemption for research tobacco products.

AMSNY Supports A.536 (Cahill) which would establish a mandatory funding level for the spinal cord injury research trust fund.

AMSNY supports A.2371 (Dinowitz) – S.2994 (Hoylman)- which would clarify that the only permissible exception from vaccination requirements is for medical conditions.