Brown Announces More Than $5 Million To Strengthen Health Education And Workforce Development In Rural And Underserved Ohio Communities
Project Will Serve 67 Ohio Counties and More Than 7.8 Million Ohioans, Will Strengthen Ohio’s Area Health Education Centers; University of Toledo – In Partnership with Bryan, Lima, Sandusky, and Appalachian Centers – and Northeast Ohio Medical University – In Partnership with Akron, Canton, Eastern Ohio, and Cleveland Metro Centers – Will Receive Funding to Train Ohioans for Jobs in Health Care Industry
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that Ohio institutions have been awarded a five-year grant totaling $5,245,899 to strengthen the state’s Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) and improve health education and workforce development for rural and underserved communities. The award was granted by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The project will serve 67 Ohio counties and more than 7.8 million Ohioans.
“This is about training Ohioans for jobs in one of our state’s most important industries while strengthening health care in rural and underserved communities,” Brown said. “These federal funds will help strengthen the network of Area Health Education Centers that are so key to ensuring that well-trained health providers are available in all Ohio communities, whether large or small.”
The federal grant provides matching funds for the AHEC Point of Service Maintenance and Enhancement project, which is an extensive health professions education network affiliated with four medical schools, and provided through multiple AHEC programs throughout the state. Participating medical schools are: The University of Toledo College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
The project is an academic-community partnership, and will maintain and enhance the infrastructure network that links health professions training programs and community partners. Examples of projects include clinical clerkships, interprofessional training, service learning, summer science camps, mentoring, cultural competency and health literacy training, K-12 health career/public health education, distance learning, professional retention, capacity building skills training, and population-focused task forces to address critical local needs. The project will provide: clinical education for 11,000 health professions students; 700 volunteer physician teachers; continuing education programs for at least 20,000 health professionals; and health career and pipeline programs for 13,000 participants.
Communities with AHECs sharing in the award are listed below.
|
Program Office/AHEC Start Date |
Counties |
Population |
Square Miles |
|
|
University of Toledo Program Office/Awardee |
||||
|
1 – Bryan AHEC 03/1981 |
5 |
167,206 |
2073 |
|
|
2 – Lima AHEC 05/1981 |
8 |
409,035 |
3,648 |
|
|
3 – Sandusky AHEC 01/1981 |
6 |
411,310 |
2,580 |
|
|
4 – Consortium for Health Education in Appalachia Ohio AHEC 10/1978 |
21 |
905,435 |
10,350 |
|
|
5 – HEALTH – UC AHEC 10/1979 |
8 |
1,734,585 |
3,766 |
|
|
Northeast Ohio Medical University Program Office |
||||
|
6 – Akron Inter-Professional AHEC 7/2010 |
2 |
699,935 |
904 |
|
|
7 – Canton Regional AHEC 10/1981 |
8 |
763,833 |
3,284 |
|
|
8 – Eastern Ohio AHEC 1972 |
4 |
655,381 |
2,266 |
|
|
9 – Cleveland Metro AHEC 2012 New Center |
5 |
2,077,240 |
1996 |
|
|
PROJECT TOTAL |
67 |
7,823,960 |
30,867 |
|
###