Throughout California there is a lack of access to healthcare which can be equated to a lack of physicians in the state, especially within the valley.  As a historically underserved area, and one of the fastest growing regions in the state, the San Joaquin Valley’s shortage of physicians will only be exacerbated if nothing is done to solve the problem. Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) and the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) partnered to put forward this legislation. Assemblymember Arambula has been a champion for medical education since taking office in 2016 and as a AFSCME UAPD member he has maintained a special relationship with the union as an elected offical. 

The bill requested that the University of California submit, on or before January 1, 2020, a report that assesses the feasibility of future full-time enrollment growth in UC Programs in Medical Education (PRIME). PRIME currently has 320 students statewide and is an innovative medical education training program that focuses on meeting the needs of California’s underserved populations in rural and urban communities by combining specialized coursework, structured clinical experiences, and advanced independent study and mentoring. 

AB 2597 was estimated to cost $9.35 million from the General Fund and was held by the Senate Appropriations committee. UAPD has plans to continue the push for more medical education in the coming year.