Skip to main content

Primary Care Training Programs Receive $17 Million

 |  By John Commins  
   October 04, 2010

The Health Resources and Services Administration has issued $17 million in grants to bolster primary care training programs in communities across the nation.  

“(The grants) target community-level health professions shortages, support workforce diversity, and provide for retooling our workforce to meet the demands of an aging population, the chronically ill, and disabled,” said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, RN.

The 99 grants, funded under 2010 appropriations, will support 21 Area Health Education Centers, 68 Geriatric Academic Career awards, and 10 Nursing Assistant and Home Health Aide Program awards.

Awards fall under two AHEC programs that will receive a total of $10 million: Infrastructure development grants go to four universities to establish and advance state-wide or multi-county AHEC programs; and point of service maintenance and enhancement grants support 17 universities that have established partnerships with community-based AHECs.

AHECs are interdisciplinary, community-based training programs led by academic and community leaders who collaborate to improve the supply, distribution, diversity, and quality of healthcare personnel, with a special focus on primary care personnel in rural and other underserved communities.

Sixty-eight GACA grants will share $5 million to support career development for academic geriatric specialists to help address the fast-growing 65-plus population, which is expected to almost double by 2030.  In recognition of the importance of comprehensive care, the Affordable Care Act modified this program to expand eligible entities to include schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, dentistry, pharmacy or other allied health disciplines in an accredited health professions school that is approved by the HHS Secretary.

GACA grants focus on chronic disease management, geriatric ethics, palliative care, and health promotion. Award recipients also work with underserved and uninsured patients across many community settings including acute, ambulatory, and long-term care.

Ten NAHHA grants totaling $2.4 million will go to colleges or programs that provide community-based training to nursing assistants and home health aides who treat the elderly, chronically ill, and disabled. As nursing homes and home health agencies continue to have problems with recruitment and retention of qualified workers, there is growing concern over the current and projected shortages of these frontline direct care workers. Grantees project that these awards will enable them to train more than 4,000 nursing assistant and home health aide students over the 3-year project period.

Click here for a detailed list of awards.

John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.

Tagged Under:


Get the latest on healthcare leadership in your inbox.