In this plenary session, the Coast Guard’s Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director for Health Services will discuss current critical health care issues related to the Service: 1. Health provider workforce shortages are limiting the availability of care. Options for increasing recruitment include a Coast Guard Health Professions Scholarship Program in partnership with the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, and the creation of a Coast Guard Health Service Officer Corps. 2. Coast Guard personnel are often stationed at small units in isolated areas, with double the rate of Tricare Prime Remote beneficiaries compared with other Services. Remote/Rural access may be improved through use of Federally Qualified Health Centers and Mobile Medical Units. 3. The 2022 Coast Guard Authorization Act required the Commandant of the Coast Guard to develop a Healthcare Strategic Plan using four criteria: maximize medical readiness, optimize healthcare benefit delivery, ensure high-quality training of Coast Guard medical personnel, and prepare for the future needs of the Coast Guard. To this end, the Coast Guard Chief Medical Officer and staff have developed a Strategic Plan that groups 10 Strategic Objectives (each with specific Projects) under these four criteria.