Webinar: ACU PCA Workforce Networking Call

The primary care workforce serving America's underserved communities is under severe strain heading into mid-2026, as shortages of clinicians continue to threaten access to basic care for tens of millions.

A pressing trigger is the January 30, 2026, expiration of key federal programs that bolster the primary care pipeline. The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program, which funds residency training in community health centers, and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), supporting over 20,000 providers in underserved areas through scholarships and loan repayment in 2025, both face funding cliffs unless Congress acts.

HRSA projections paint a stark picture: by 2038, the U.S. will lack 70,610 primary care physicians, including a 39% shortage in non-metro areas. Broader estimates indicate demand for an additional 87,000 primary care physicians, 500,000 nurses, and 400,000 mental health professionals by 2037. Community health centers (CHCs), operating over 17,000 sites and serving 52 million patients (1 in 7 Americans), feel this acutely; they face persistent recruitment challenges from salary competition, burnout, and turnover.

The impact hits hardest in rural and low-income communities, where delayed or forgone primary care exacerbates chronic diseases, mental health crises, and preventable hospitalizations. CHCs' team-based approach—integrating physicians, nurses, behavioral health specialists, community health workers, and others—helps mitigate shortages and reduces overall system costs, but underinvestment limits its effectiveness.

Primary Care Associations (PCAs), supported by groups like the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) via its STAR² Center, coordinate responses. Regular networking among PCA workforce leaders addresses these workforce challenges amid evolving federal and state policies affecting health centers.