In the 2008-09 Budget, the New York State Legislature and Governor created the "Doctors Across New York" Program to support the State's healthcare system. The Program has three components:
1. Professional Education Pool (PEP)
2. Graduate Medical Education (GME) Innovations Pool, including: Incentive Pool/ECRIP, Ambulatory Training, Physician Loan Repayment, Physician Practice Support, Physician Studies, Diversity in Medicine/Post-Baccalaureate Program
3. Area Health Education Centers (AHEC)
Of these initiatives, AMSNY successfully advocated for:
Physician Loan Repayment- funds up to 100 awards annually with a maximum of $150,000 in loan repayment over five years for primary care and specialty physicians to practice in rural and inner-city underserved communities. Funding is distributed 2/3 to rural areas; 1/3 to cities through a Request for Proposal process.
Physician Practice Support- provides up to $100,000 in physician practice support over two years to encourage primary care and specialty physicians to practice in rural and inner-city underserved communities. Funding distribution is similar to the loan repayment program and available to enhance physician recruitment incentive packages.
Diversity in Medicine/Post-Baccalaureate Program- AMSNY will receive $1.96 million for current, expanded, and new Diversity Programs, including the creation of a new post-bac program. AMSNY currently supports programming along the educational continuum that encourages students from underserved communities to enter a career in medicine. The current AMSNY post-bac program provides minority and economically disadvantaged students an additional year of academic enrichment prior to entering medical school. These funds will increase the capacity of the program to 50 students.
AMSNY will also receive $2 million per year, less budget cuts, through 2011 for these initiatives.