(Radio Iowa) – The legislature has sent Governor Reynolds a bill to implement her plan to seek 150 million dollars in federal funding to train more doctors in Iowa. Republican Senator Mike Klimesh of Spillville says that cash infusion is estimated to establish 114 residencies for doctors at Iowa’s 14 teaching hospitals. “When fully implemented over four years, there’s projected 460 new physicians being trained through the residency programs,” Klimesh says.

The bill also combines five loan repayment programs into one. Representative Carter Nordman, a Republican from Dallas Center, says the new initiative is called the Health Care Workforce and Community Support program. “This program will award loan forgiveness or bonuses based on high need health care professions in shortage areas,” Nordman said. Representative Austin Baeth, a Democrat from Des Moines, is a doctor who specializes in palliative care. He says the bill’s initiatives are sorely needed in Iowa.

“We need to better support our health care professionals with loan repayment and we need more doctors trained, homegrown, right here in the state of Iowa,” Baeth says. “This is an investment worth investing in.” The bill had strong bipartisan support in the legislature. Senator Cindy Winckler, a Democrat from Davenport, is one of four lawmakers who opposed the bill. Winckler says she’s concerned state agencies will have too much power to determine where the money is spent. “This is a concept. It is a not a bill,” Winckler said. “…Why would we move to programs with not any kind of assurances that we will be meeting the needs of the local communities?”

The bill cleared the Senate this week. It passed the House in March. Governor Reynolds says access to quality health care is vital for Iowans in every corner of the state and have the House and Senate pass he bill is an incredible win.