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August 24, 2010 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson welcomed an announcement by the US Department of Health and Human Services that a rural health care provider in Crete will receive a three-year, $600,000 grant to recruit medical professionals.
“This funding for the Rural Comprehensive Care Network will help support the medical professional workforce who serve small rural communities,” said Senator Nelson. “Supporting quality rural health care is so important to the hundreds of communities across the state that rely on rural hospitals and clinics to keep them well.”
The Rural Comprehensive Care Network (RCCN) of Nebraska, in Crete, has been awarded a three-year, $200,000-per-year grant under the Rural Health Workforce Development Program. This program supports the development of rural health networks that seek to improve the recruitment and retention of emerging health professionals in rural communities including primary and allied health care students and residents. It will promote a range of approaches to community-based training and can include a singular or collective focus on professions such as medicine, oral health, mental/behavioral health, nursing, pharmacy and other allied health professions.
The RCCN will use the grant to conduct workshops in which physicians work closely to train and mentor medical school and residency students in how rural health care is provided at RCCN. In total, RCCN hopes for 90 students to be trained each year. This training is designed to provide incentives for students to choose a career as a health care provider in rural areas, where workforce shortages are a concern. The RCCN serves 19 counties in southeastern Nebraska.
“The opportunities that this program will offer for our current and future health care professionals can have a huge impact on meeting the workforce needs of rural Nebraska,” said Joleen T. Huneke, RCCN Executive Director.
The initial $200,000 in grant funding is available beginning September 1, 2010, and is part of $32 million announced yesterday by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to increase rural access to health care. Future funding will be subject to availability and the status of the project. The funds are administered by the Office of Rural Health Policy in HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and are part of HHS’ fiscal year 2010 budget.
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