Federal officials recently announced that 34 minority health professional training programs participating in the federal Centers of Excellence and Health Care Opportunity Program would retain their eligibility for NIH grants and other federal grant programs beyond a May 31 expiration date, CQ HealthBeat reports. The programs have been extended through Sept. 30. The decision is in response to requests by Rep. Joseph Crowley (D- N.Y.) and Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), who in letters to the Health Resources and Services Administration and HHS wrote that the programs are important in training a diverse group of health professionals and improving service to underserved populations. Crowley in a statement said, "This extension is a first step in ensuring the Centers of Excellence and Health Care Opportunity Program can continue producing more minority doctors and nurses working in underserved areas." Durbin in the statement said that "far too many of our poorest communities are lacking easy access to the doctors and other professionals who form the backbone of the nation's health care system" (CQ HealthBeat, 4/24).