ABSTRACT Project Title: Arkansas Delta Health Careers Opportunity Program (AR Delta HCOP) Address: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DDEI); 4301 W. Markham, #625, Little Rock, AR 72205 Project Director: Brian Gittens, EdD, MPA Phone: (501) 603-1159 Fax: (501) 686-7439 Email: BGittens@uams.edu Website: https://ddei.uams.edu/ Funds Requested: $650,000/yr Funding preference: Is requested. Health Needs: Arkansas ranks among the least healthy 10 states in the nation, and the impoverished Arkansas Delta region is among the least healthy in the state. Some contributors to these persistently poor health outcomes are gaps in Arkansas’ healthcare workforce. Student Needs: Socio-economic and academic barriers prevent many high school students in the region from academic and career success, with many in the service area completely failing to meet college readiness benchmarks. When education is not prioritized and students lack professional role models and encouraging parents or mentors, these factors all contribute to low motivation, low test scores, low college application and admissions rates, and ultimately, to severe shortages of healthcare workers in the region. The purpose of this project is to respond to these barriers by recruiting, supporting and assisting students from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds in underserved Delta counties to successfully complete a health professions program and to enter the health career workforce. Partners include the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Division of Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DDEI), UAMS Regional Programs/AHEC (RP/AHEC), the College of Health Professions (CHP) and College of Public Health (COPH), a 17-member community-based rural hospital consortium, Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (ARHP), as well as dozens of high schools, colleges and universities throughout 20 targeted counties in the Arkansas Del
ta. Targeted trainees include high school juniors & seniors, undergraduate students, and adult/non-traditional learners. Targeted disciplines include sonography, dietetics, health administration, medical lab technology, mental/behavioral health, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, public health, radiography, and respiratory therapy. Goals/Objectives: 1) Improve recruitment, matriculation, retention, and graduation rates by implementing tailored enrichment programs designed to address the academic and social needs of students from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds. This goal will be met through establishment of the Arkansas Delta HCOP Academy, including structured and unstructured programs. This will include creating a new longitudinal HCOP Ambassador’s program, a structured HCOP Summer Program and a Pre-Matriculation Program, and supplementing an existing structured UAMS Post Baccalaureate Program, while also integrating Ambassadors from and into other existing pipeline programs; and 2) Provide opportunities for community-based experiential health professions training, emphasizing experiences in underserved communities for health and allied health students to encourage their return to work with partnering institutions in the region. This goal will be accomplished by coordinating with strategic partners to expand clinical and/or experiential training opportunities across the Arkansas Delta. We will also provide career counseling to adult/non-traditional learners facing layoffs and career transitions. Evaluation will include active surveillance of work plan milestones, with process and outcome measures. The long-term strategy to sustain HCOP programs beyond grant funding is to continue to identify and expand community and corporate partnerships, federal sponsorships (HRSA, NIH, etc.), and other partner agencies, including UAMS, to increase their investments in the future of Arkansas.