Health Resources and Services Administration
Agency overview
Formed	1982
Preceding agencies	Health Services Administration (1973-1982) Health Resources Administration (1973-1982)
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	Rockville, Maryland
Employees	1,400
Annual budget	$7.2 billion USD (2008)
Agency executive	Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN, Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration
Parent agency	United States Department of Health and Human Services

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services located in Rockville, Maryland. It is the primary federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable.

Comprising six bureaus and 13 offices, HRSA provides leadership and financial support to health care providers in every state and U.S. territory. HRSA grantees provide health care to uninsured people, people living with HIV/AIDS, and pregnant women, mothers and children. They train health professionals and improve systems of care in rural communities.

HRSA oversees organ, bone marrow and cord blood donation. It supports programs that prepare against bioterrorism, compensate individuals harmed by vaccination, and maintains databases that protect against health care malpractice and health care waste, fraud and abuse.

Since 1943 the agencies that were HRSA precursors have worked to improve the health of needy people. HRSA was created in 1982, when the Health Resources Administration and the Health Services Administration were merged.

On February 20, 2009, President Obama announced the appointment of one of the nation’s top rural health care professionals as Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Dr. Mary Wakefield, Director of the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota, oversees this critical agency, which helps to deliver health care to those who are uninsured and underserved by our current health care system.

Goals[link]

The agency lists seven goals:^[1]

• Improve Access to Health Care.
• Improve Health Outcomes.
• Improve the Quality of Health Care.
• Eliminate Health Disparities.
• Improve the Public Health and Health Care Systems.
• Enhance the Ability of the Health Care System to Respond to Public Health Emergencies.
• Achieve Excellence in Management Practices

Key facts[link]

• HRSA programs reach into every corner of America. The agency's $7 billion budget (FY 2008) provides direct health care to 23 million people.

• HRSA’s health center program supports medical, oral and behavioral health services to uninsured and underinsured individuals through a nationwide network of community-based clinics and mobile medical vans. By bringing comprehensive primary and preventive health care services to inner-city and rural communities that otherwise would be without them, health centers improve the health of their communities and relieve pressure on overburdened hospital emergency rooms. The agency also recruits doctors, nurses, dentists and others to work in areas with too few health care professionals.

• HRSA funds life-sustaining medication and primary care to about half of the estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. The agency also furnishes funds and expertise that save and improve the lives of millions of mothers and children.

• HRSA oversees all organ, tissue and blood cell donations and is the federal agency primarily responsible for pediatric poison control. HRSA also maintains databases that track cases of health care malpractice and compensates individuals thought to be harmed by vaccinations.

• The agency monitors trends in the health care workforce and forecasts future demand. Scholarships and academic loan programs encourage greater minority participation in the health professions and seek to maintain an adequate supply of primary care professionals.

Primary Health Care[link]

HRSA funds almost 1,110 health center grantees that operate more than 7,000 clinics and mobile medical vans. Health centers deliver primary and preventive care to over 16 million low-income patients in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and U.S. possessions in the Pacific.

HIV/AIDS[link]

The agency’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides primary care, support services and antiretroviral drugs for about 530,000 low-income people. The program also funds training, technical assistance and demonstration projects designed to slow the spread of the epidemic in high-risk populations. These services avert more costly in-patient care and improve the quality of life for those living with the virus.

Maternal and Child Health Bureau[link]

HRSA administers a broad range of programs for pregnant women, mothers, infants, children, adolescents and their families and children with special health care requirements. The largest of the programs, the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to States, supports local efforts to reduce infant mortality and childhood illness and control costs associated with poor pre- and neo-natal care. The Block Grant includes State Formula Block Grants, Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS), and Community Integrated Service Systems (CISS) projects. Other vital missions include Universal Newborn Hearing Screening, Traumatic Brain Injury, Healthy Start, Sickle Cell Service Demonstrations, Family to Family Health Information Centers, Emergency Medical Services for Children, and autism.

Among the most successful public health initiatives in U.S. history, HRSA's maternal and child health programs annually serve more than 34 million people. Maternal and Child Health Bureau

Rural Health[link]

To make health care more accessible for the 60 million residents of rural America, HRSA funds programs that integrate and streamline existing rural health care institutions and aid in the recruitment and retention of physicians in rural hospitals and clinics. HRSA’s telehealth program uses information technology to link isolated rural practitioners to medical institutions over great distances. Many of these activities are designed and operated out of the Agency's Office of Rural Health Policy.

Clinician Recruitment and Service[link]

The agency strives to ensure a health care workforce that is diverse, well-trained and adequately distributed throughout the nation. In exchange for financial assistance through National Health Service Corps scholarships and student loan repayment programs, more than 28,000 clinicians have served in some of the most economically deprived and geographically isolated communities in America over the past 35 years.

Health Professions[link]

Many regions of the country—and various health disciplines—face serious workforce shortages. HRSA safeguards the foundations of the U.S. health care system by targeting grants to academic institutions to support post-graduate faculty retention; administering scholarships to increase staff in critical specialties, such as nursing; and funding leadership development programs. These programs leverage the educations of about 10,000 clinicians annually.

Healthcare Systems[link]

HRSA oversees the nation’s organ and tissue donation and transplantation systems, and a drug discount program for certain safety-net health care providers. The agency also supports the nation’s poison control centers and vaccine injury compensation programs, which distribute awards to individuals and families thought to have been injured by certain vaccines.

References[link]

External links[link]

	Government of the United States portal
	Health and fitness portal

• Official website
  • The Health Center Program
  • The HIV/AIDS Program
  • Maternal & Child Health
  • Rural Health Policy
  • National Health Service Corps
  • Health Professions
  • Healthcare Systems

v t e Agencies of the United States Department of Health and Human Services Secretary of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretariate staff offices Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services Office of the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General Organizations under the Assistant Secretary for Health Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health Public Health Service Office of Public Health and Science Administration for Children and Families Administration on Aging Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Food and Drug Administration Health Resources and Services Administration Indian Health Service National Institutes of Health Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (Surgeon General) Programs National Toxicology Program

Richard Neal
Richard Neal in 2007.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1989
Preceded by	Edward Boland
50th Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts
In office 1984–1989
Preceded by	Theodore Dimauro
Succeeded by	Mary Hurley
Member of the Springfield City Council
In office 1978–1984
Personal details
Born	(1949-02-14) February 14, 1949 (age 63) Worcester, Massachusetts
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Maureen Neal
Residence	Springfield, Massachusetts
Alma mater	American International College, University of Hartford
Occupation	High school teacher
Religion	Roman Catholic

Richard Edmund Neal (born February 14, 1949) is the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district, serving since 1989. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is a former city councilor and mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts.

A Springfield native, Neal graduated from American International College and received a master's degree from the University of Hartford. After graduating he became involved in politics, working as an assistant to the mayor of Springfield. He served as president of the Springfield City Council from 1979 to 1983 while teaching high school history courses and lecturing at local colleges. He served as mayor of Springfield from 1983 to 1989, overseeing a period of economic growth. With his political influence and a head start on contributions, he was nearly uncontested when he ran for election to the House of Representatives in 1988.

As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and chairman of the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, Neal is an influential figure in House economic policy. He is widely considered a frontrunner for chairman of the committee. His top legislative priorities have been to reform the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and close tax loopholes, although his success has been mixed. He has also dedicated much of his career to US–Irish relations and maintaining American involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process, for which he has won several acclamations. He has a generally liberal voting record, but is considered a moderate on such issues as abortion and trade.

Early life and education[link]

Richard Edmund Neal was born February 14, 1949, in Worcester, Massachusetts, the oldest of three children. He and his two younger sisters were raised in Springfield by their mother, a housewife, and their father, a custodian at MassMutual. Neal's maternal grandparents were from Northern Ireland and his paternal grandparents were from Ireland. Neal's mother died of a heart attack when he was 13, and he was attending Springfield Technical High School when his father, an alcoholic, died. Neal and his two younger sisters moved in with their grandmother and later their aunt, forced to rely on Social Security checks as they grew up.^[1][2][3]

After graduating high school, Neal attended Holyoke Community College in Holyoke and then American International College in Springfield, with the assistance of survivor's benefits. He graduated in 1972 with a B.A. in political science. He then attended the University of Hartford's Barney School of Business and Public Administration, graduating in 1976 with an M.A. in public administration.^[2][4][5] Early in his career, Neal taught taught history at the Roman Catholic Cathedral High School.^[3]

Early political career[link]

Neal began his political career as co-chairman of Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern's 1972 election campaign in Western Massachusetts.^[6] In 1973 he became an assistant to Springfield Mayor William C. Sullivan. Neal was elected to the Springfield City Council in 1978 and was named President of the City Council in 1979.^[4] The following year he was named as a delegate for presidential candidate Edward M. Kennedy at the 1980 Democratic National Convention.^[7] While a city councilor, Neal taught history at Cathedral High School, and gave lectures at Springfield College, American International College, Springfield Technical Community College and Western New England College.^[8]

In 1983 Neal made plans to challenge Theodore Dimauro, the Democratic incumbent mayor of Springfield. This pressure led Dimauro to retire and Neal was elected mayor by a landslide. He was re-elected by landslide margins in 1985 and 1987.^[6] As mayor, Neal oversaw a period of significant economic growth, with over $400 million of development and investment in the city, and a surplus in the city budget. He worked to strengthen Springfield's appearance, pushing to revive and preserve the city's historic homes and initiating an influential Clean City Campaign to reduce litter.^[8][9]

Congressional career[link]

The 2nd congressional district of Massachusetts in the 109th Congress.

Neal ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1988 after 18-term Democratic incumbent Edward Boland retired. Boland had alerted Neal of his impending retirement, allowing the mayor a head-start on his campaign. Neal raised $200,000 in campaign contributions and collected signatures across the district before the retirement was formally announced.^[10] As a result, no other Democrat or Republican even filed for the election, and Neal defeated Communist Party candidate Louis R. Godena with over 80 percent of the vote.^[11] In 1989 he was sworn in as United States Representative from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district, which includes Springfield and the southern and western suburbs of Worcester.

Neal has won re-election in every term since. Former Springfield mayor Theodore Dimauro, reflecting sentiments that Neal had an unfair advantage in the previous election, ran as a challenger in the 1990 Democratic primary. Dimauro's campaign was sullied by a false rumor he spread about the Bank of New England's financial situation, and Neal won the primary easily.^[10] He was unopposed in the general election, winning 68 percent of the vote.^[12] In 1992 his popularity was threatened by the House banking scandal, in which he had made dozens of unpenalized overdrafts at the House Bank.^[10] After narrowly defeating two Democratic opponents, he was challenged by Republican Anthony W. Ravosa, Jr., and Independent Thomas R. Sheehan. Neal won with 53 percent of the vote.^[13]

Since 1994, Neal has had little electoral opposition. In a Springfield Union-News poll taken in mid-October 1994, Neal was only ahead of John Briare by 6 percentage points. Neal then went on to spend nearly $500,000 against John Briare in the last 2 weeks of the election to defeat him. The 1994 general election featured a third party candidate as well, Kate Ross, who received 6% of the vote. With blanks, Neal actually received only 51% of the vote in 1994. After defeating Briare in 1994, he was then challenged by Mark Steele in 1996, respectively,^[14][15] and ran unopposed in 1998. In 2000 he won the Democratic primary against Joseph R. Fountain, who challenged Neal's positions as "anti-choice" and "anti-gun".^[16] Neal had been unopposed in the general election since 1996, but faced Republican opponent Tom Wesley^[17] in the 2010 United States Congressional elections, which Neal won by a margin of 57% to 43%.

Neal was a member of the House Democratic Steering Committee in the 105th Congress and is now an at-large whip for the House Democrats.^[4][10] Neal is a co-chair of the New England Congressional Caucus, a group aiming to advance the regional interests of New England.^[4]

Economy and budget[link]

With several influential committee posts, Neal has made economic policy the focus of his career, although his success has been mixed.^[1] He served his first two terms on the House Banking Committee, where he served on the Financial Services Subcommittee. As the banking reform law of 1991 was being drafted, he cautioned that President George H.W. Bush's proposal could negatively affect small businesses and minority-owned businesses. He introduced an amendment to require reports on lending to these businesses, which was adopted.^[18]

In 1993 Neal moved to the House Ways and Means Committee, where he currently serves.^[18] He has been chairman of the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures since 2008 and is a member of the Subcommittee on Trade. Previously he served on the Oversight and Social Security subcommittees.^[19] Analysts consider Neal a likely frontrunner for chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. In the wake of Charles B. Rangel's departure he has begun actively seeking the post.^[2][20] In June 2010, while pursuing the chairmanship, he invited campaign contributors to a $5,000-per-person weekend fundraiser in Cape Cod. This drew fire from The Boston Globe, which criticized him for "[acceding] to the capital's money culture."^[21]

According to Congressional Quarterly's Politics in America, one of Neal's long-standing legislative priorities is to simplify the tax code.^[1] While it may seem Neal is a champion of the middle class he has continually accepted campaign donations from corporations such as General Electric which paid no Federal Income Tax in 2010. Neal has long advocated repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), believing its effects have reached unreasonably low income brackets.^[22] He led an unsuccessful movement to reform the AMT in 2007.^[1] He successfully pushed in 1998 to exempt a child tax credit from being affected by the AMT, and in 2001 Congress made the exemption permanent at his urging.^[23] He voted against the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, saying that they would force millions onto the AMT.^[24] Another priority of Neal's is to eliminate tax "loopholes" that favor higher-income individuals.^[1] He was the lead proponent of a bill to require federal contractors to pay federal taxes for workers hired through offshore shell headquarters. The bill, H.R. 6081, passed both houses of Congress unanimously and was signed into law in May 2008.^[25]

On trade policy, Neal has a moderate record, supporting lower trade barriers.^{[citation needed]} He voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993.^[10] In 1995 and 2002 he voted against fast track bills which gave the president the authority to negotiate trade deals without amendments by Congress. In 2007 he voted in favor of the United States – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement despite some Democratic opposition.^[1]

Neal is a strong supporter of the Social Security program. He moved from the Trade subcommittee to the Social Security subcommittee in 2005 to challenge President George W. Bush's attempts to partially privatize it.^[24] He pushed a proposal to automatically enroll employees in Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), and successfully lobbied President Barack Obama to include it in a proposed 2009 budget outline.^[1]

Foreign relations[link]

Descended from Irish nationalist grandparents on both sides, Neal has been an advocate for Irish concerns throughout his Congressional career, pushing to keep the United States involved in the Northern Ireland peace process. He is the co-chair of the ad hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, has been chairman of the Friends of Ireland since 2007, and was considered as a candidate for United States Ambassador to Ireland in 1998.^[1][26] After the disarmament of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in September 2005, Neal was among a group of Congressmen who met with Sinn Féin MP Martin McGuinness to congratulate him on the action of disarmament and ensure a lasting peace had been reached.^[27][28] Neal invited Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams to the inauguration of Barack Obama in January 2009.^[29] Neal has been named as one of the top 100 Irish-Americans by Irish America magazine and received the International Leadership Award from The American Ireland Fund in 2002.^[26][30]

Neal is an opponent of the Iraq War, saying the war was based on false intelligence. He voted against the original invasion in 2003 and opposed President Bush's 2006 request to send additional troops.^[24] He has said he plans to make veterans' affairs a top priority in 2010.^[31]

Political voting scores for Neal for 1989 to 2009 from the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC), and American Conservative Union (ACU).^[32]

Domestic issues[link]

A longtime advocate of health care reform, Neal was involved in the major health care reform efforts of 1993–94 and 2009–10. In working on the unsuccessful Clinton health care plan of 1993 he balanced his desire for health care reform with the interests of the major health insurance and medical companies in his district, achieving a compromise allowing insurance companies to charge small businesses higher premiums.^[18] He was later involved writing the House's 2009 health care reform bill, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. As chairman of the Select Revenue Measures subcommittee, he had a hand in developing the bill's financing plan. He explained that his priorities were to address "pre-existing conditions, capping out-of-pocket expenses and making sure people don't lose their health care if they lose their job".^[31][33] Despite his support for the act, he spoke about his preference for a "piecemeal" approach to health care reform, saying it would allow for a more reasonable debate.^[34]

Coming from a relatively Catholic district, Neal has a more conservative record on the issue of abortion than other Massachusetts representatives.^[1] He said in 2010, "I have always opposed taxpayer funding of abortion. I'd keep Roe v. Wade and restrict it, I've always thought: keep abortion, with restrictions for late-term abortion. [Given] the voting pattern I have, both sides would say I'm mixed and guess what? That's where the American people are."^[34] He voted for the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, which made the intact dilation and extraction abortion procedure illegal in most cases.^[1] During debate on the House health care reform bill, he voted in favor of the Stupak–Pitts Amendment, restricting government funding of abortion.^[35] On other social issues Neal has a moderate record: he supports a proposed Constitutional amendment to ban desecration of the U.S. flag, and has twice voted against an amendment to ban same-sex marriage.^[1]

Political positions[link]

Neal has a generally liberal political record. He was given a 100 percent "Liberal Quotient" by Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) for his 2008 voting record, and the organization named him one of the year's "ADA Heroes".^[36] He was given an 8.19 percent "Lifetime Rating" by the American Conservative Union (ACU) based on his votes from 1989 to 2009.^[37] In the 110th United States Congress Neal voted with the Democratic Party leadership on 98.9 percent of bills.^[38]

Personal life[link]

Neal is a Roman Catholic.^[10] He lives in Springfield with his wife Maureen Neal, née Conway. They have four children: Rory Christopher, Brendan Conway, Maura Katherine, and Sean Richard.^[5] In addition to his duties as a congressman, Neal teaches a journalism course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst called "The Politician and the Journalist".^[2]

References[link]

General biographies[link]

• Alston, Farnsworth; Carter, Mary Ann; Randolph, Sarah (eds.) (2009). "Neal, Richard E." Congressional Directory for the 111th Congress (2009–2010). Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-16-083727-2.
• McCutcheon, Chuck, and Lyons, Christina L. (eds.) (2009). "Neal, Richard E., D-Mass." CQ's Politics in America 2010: The 111th Congress. Washington: Congressional Quarterly. pp. 488–489. ISBN 978-1-60426-602-3.
• Neal, Richard E. "Biography." Congressman Richard Neal (official website). United States House of Representatives. Retrieved June 27, 2010.

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

• Congressman Richard E. Neal, U.S. House site
• Richard Neal for Congress, Official campaign site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Profile at SourceWatch
• Response to IRA Disarmament September 26, 2005