Steven A. Wartman, MD, PhD January 26, 2007 President/CEO …

Steven A. Wartman, MD, PhD             January 26, 2007
President/CEO

Board of Directors
                                       Name
Michael V. Drake, MD
Chancellor                             U.S. House of Representatives/ U.S. Senate
University of California, Irvine       Street Address
Chair
                                       Washington, D.C. 20515
Arthur Rubenstein, MBBCh
Executive Vice President for the
Health System
Dean, School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania             Dear Name:
Chair-Elect

Frank B. Cerra, MD                     I am writing you on behalf of the Association of Academic Health Centers
Senior Vice President                  (AAHC) to urge you to make further revisions in the Continuing
for Health Sciences
University of Minnesota                Appropriations Resolution for FY 2007. The AAHC, representing more
Immediate Past Chair                   than 100 academic health centers nationwide, is dedicated to improving
John Fernandes, DO, MBA                the nation's health and well being by mobilizing and enhancing the
President
Oklahoma State University              strengths and resources of the academic health center enterprise in
Center for Health Sciences             health professions education, patient care, and research.
Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., MD, DPhil
Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean         We are especially concerned about the impact of an extension of House
and Provost, Medical Affairs
Weill Medical College and Graduate     Joint Resolution 102 on a number of critically important activities carried
School of Medical Sciences
Cornell University
                                       out by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The
                                       current continuing resolution, which expires on February 15, 2007
Jane E. Henney, MD
Senior Vice President and
                                       requires that programs at HHS be funded at the lower of the House- or
Provost for Health Affairs             Senate-passed Labor, HHS, and Education appropriation bill or at FY
University of Cincinnati
                                       2006 levels. Since neither body has passed these measures
Philip A. Pizzo, MD
Dean, School of Medicine
                                       (H.R.5647/S.3708), appropriations for the current fiscal year have
Stanford University                    remained frozen at last year's amounts.
Sheldon M. Retchin, MD, MSPH
Chief Executive Officer VCU Health     A continuation of a funding freeze for the balance of the fiscal year
System, Vice President for Health
Sciences                               represents a real reduction as inflation has eroded the purchasing power
Virginia Commonwealth University       of the dollars appropriated in FY 2006. Funding for both the National
Fred Sanfilippo, MD, PhD               Institutes of Health (NIH) and the health workforce programs authorized
Senior Vice President and
Executive Dean for Health Sciences     by Title VII of the Public Health Service Act are very much at risk
Chief Executive Officer, OSU Medical   because prior year funding in both these areas has been virtually level or
Center
The Ohio State University              significantly reduced.
Larry J. Shapiro, MD
President, Washington University       Funding over the past three years for vital programs at the NIH has not
Medical Center, Executive Vice
Chancellor for Medical Affairs and     kept pace with the need for an enhanced investment in emerging
Dean, School of Medicine
Washington University
                                       research opportunities. It is also not consistent with the levels provided
                                       in the recently enacted NIH re-authorization legislation. The practical
Andrew A. Sorensen, PhD
President
                                       effect of this funding policy is that new and promising proposals will not
University of South Carolina



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January 26, 2007

be funded and ongoing research cannot be sustained at levels provided for in
the Continuing Resolution. Freezing NIH appropriations at FY 2006 levels
represents more than a nine percent reduction in constant dollars from levels
in FY 2004.

We believe that failure to adjust funding for the NIH for the balance of this
fiscal year will result in delaying or missing opportunities to reduce the burden
of illness and to improve the outcome of millions of patients who may benefit
from NIH research. We strongly recommend that funding for the NIH in FY
2007 be increased at least 5 percent to ensure that its work can be sustained
and expanded.

Likewise, we are deeply troubled by the impact of a freeze on programs
designed to address the shortage of health professionals, especially in the
primary care disciplines and in medically underserved areas. Recent national
projections estimate that the nation will need approximately 3.5 million new
healthcare professionals in addition to the 2 million professionals who are
expected to leave the workforce. Moreover, without sustaining these
workforce initiatives, our efforts to attract racial and ethnic minorities to
health professions careers will be severely undermined.

Funding for Title VII programs in FY 2006 was reduced by over 50 percent,
eliminating support for geriatric training and reducing funds for primary care
training and for health opportunity grants for minority students. We urge you
to support funding for Title VII programs at the level of $300 million ­ the
amount appropriated for FY 2005. While this will not be enough to expand
many of these initiatives, it will restore federal support for the core activities
in this area. Without addressing the challenge of growing workforce
shortages, we will retard progress in ensuring access to culturally-competent
care for millions of Americans in underserved urban and rural areas.

An extension of the Continuing Resolution for FY 2007 without any
modifications will do great harm to efforts to build our research capacity, to
invest in the healthcare workforce, and to improve the health of all
Americans.

We need your commitment for these priorities. We look forward to your
leadership as Congress considers appropriations for the balance of this fiscal
year.

Sincerely,



Steven A. Wartman, MD, PhD
President and CEO
Association of Academic Health Centers