White House urges community health centers to hire vets

The Obama administration on Tuesday called on community health centers to hire 8,000 military veterans in the next three years. The plan would draw on funds already included in the health law to boost primary care at these clinics.

Politico Pro: W.H. Seeks Health Care Jobs For Veterans
Tom Van Coverden, president of the National Association of Community Health Centers, said veterans are a natural fit. "They bring almost an unparalleled focus on mission and desire to serve, and they understand clearly what teamwork means," he said on the White House press call Tuesday morning. However, some GOP lawmakers have called for spending cuts for the clinics amid the current budget pressures, so the hiring trends may be uncertain. The administration acknowledged that 8,000 new jobs for veterans may seem small given the millions of people looking for work, but said the steps are part of a larger effort to train or employ 100,000 veterans and their spouses by 2013 (Millman, 10/25).

CQ HealthBeat: White House Wants 8,000 Vets Hired In Community Health Centers
The Obama administration Tuesday called on community health centers to hire 8,000 veterans during the next three years, using funding already included in the health care law to boost primary care at the clinics. As part of this move, federal agencies will make more of an effort to match veterans with available jobs at community health centers. And when federal grants are awarded, priority will be given to universities that train veterans for careers as physician assistants, the administration announced (Norman, 10/25).

Bloomberg: Obama Seeks To Create 8,000 Jobs For Veterans At Health Centers
President Barack Obama urged federally funded community health centers across the U.S. to create about 8,000 jobs for veterans over the next three years. The administration also announced plans to increase programs to help military medics become physician's assistants by giving priority grants to colleges and universities that train veterans for such careers. "Veterans shouldn't have to fight for a job once they've come home from the fight overseas," Matt Flavin, director of the White House Veterans, Military Families and Wounded Warrior Task Force, said in a conference call with reporters (Runningen, 10/25).

Modern Healthcare: White House Unveils Job Plans For Veterans
The White House on Tuesday announced two initiatives to create job opportunities for America's veterans, including one that urges the nation's community health centers to hire 8,000 veterans in the next three years. Called the Community Health Center Veterans Hiring Challenge, the first effort brings together HHS, the Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs departments, and the National Association of Community Health Centers to hire more veterans at these facilities, which provide services at more than 8,000 sites across the country (Zigmond, 10/25).