Senator Charles Schumer was joined by doctors at Oneida Healthcare on Friday to launch a major effort to address the doctor shortage in central New York.

Schumer is urging his colleagues in the House and Senate to pass the Physician Shortage Act of 2018.

He says the legislation would add 15,000 more Medicare-supported residency training slots for doctors, helping to ensure that teaching hospitals can train enough physicians to meet the nation's growing demand for doctors.

While we have tremendous doctors providing amazing care here at Oneida Healthcare, it is also apparent that we no longer have as many physicians as we need here in Central New York," said Schumer.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the U.S. is expected to face a shortage of over 43,000 primary care physicians and nearly 62,000 specialty physicians by 2030.

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