March 11, 2026
SACRAMENTO, CA — On March 11, MD4CA joined Senator Hurtado (D-16), Assemblymember Alvarez (D-80), and the California Medicine Scholars Program (CMSP) to co-host a Capitol Briefing in Sacramento, bringing together students, partners, and legislative leaders including Senator Reyes (D-29), Senator Rubio (D-22), Assemblymember Arambula (D-31), Assemblymember Carrillo (D-39), and Assemblymember Pacheco (D-64).
The California Medicine Scholars Program (CMSP) partners with community colleges to support students pursuing careers in medicine, providing advising, mentorship, and resources to help them navigate the path to medical school. For many of these students, the road isn't straightforward. CMSP meets them where they are and helps them map out what's next. The briefing made the case to lawmakers that this kind of investment, rooted in the communities that need physicians most, is one of the most effective tools California has to address its growing healthcare workforce crisis.
Jasmine Neri Sanchez, a recent Fresno State graduate and CMSP SJV Medbridge scholar who started at College of the Sequoias, spoke about what the program has meant for her: "It has made my dream feasible, especially as a first generation student. In the Central Valley, we have a large lack of physicians, so it's very hard to get shadowing opportunities. CMSP has opened some of those doors."
MD4CA was proud to stand alongside CMSP and partners to bring this conversation to the Capitol. As Dr. Seciah Aquino, Executive Director of LCHC, put it: "When we invest in our workforce, when we invest in health strategies, we're also investing in the economy of the state." Expanding the physician pipeline in underserved regions isn't just a health issue. It's an investment in California's future.
The briefing also highlighted MD4CA's Initiative 4: Community College Pathways, which calls for expanding and scaling the Regional Hubs of Healthcare Opportunity model to increase the number of students transitioning from community college to four-year institutions and ultimately into California medical schools. CMSP is a direct example of this model working, and the Capitol Briefing was an opportunity to make that case to the legislators who can help take it further.
Learn more about CMSP at californiamedicinescholarsprogram.org