Project Title: Minnesota Primary Care Office (PCO) Applicant Name: Minnesota Department of Health Mailing Address: P.O. Box 64882, St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0882 Courier Address: 85 E 7th Place, Suite 220, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 Project Director: Brenda Flattum, PCO Director 651-201-3870 brenda.flattum@state.mn.us https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/ruralhealth/index.html Funds Requested: $205,937 The purpose of this project is to improve access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable. The project will do so by coordinating activities within Minnesota that assess the need for primary care services and providers, promoting the recruitment and retention of health care providers to fulfill identified needs, and developing strategies to address shortages of health care providers and other identified primary care needs in the state. The project will be coordinated by the Minnesota Primary Care Office (PCO), within the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC), at the Minnesota Department of Health. The mission of the ORHPC is to promote access to quality health care for all Minnesotans. The office collaborates with policymakers, providers and rural and underserved urban communities to ensure a continuum of core health services throughout the state. The targeted populations for PCO activities are those living in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), especially those with additional barriers such as geography, age, cultural health disparities, linguistic isolation, low-incomes, uninsurance and underinsurance. Safety-net clinics that provide access to health care for underserved populations are a critical PCO stakeholder. The Minnesota PCO works to improve access to health care for these populations through federal and state workforce incentives, multiple safety-net grants and an array of technical assistance. The PCO collaborates with public and private organizations to accomplis
h the goals and objectives (below) of the proposed project. Program Goal 1: Statewide Primary Care Needs Assessment Objective: Conduct a statewide Primary Care Needs Assessment that identifies the Minnesota communities with the greatest unmet health care needs, disparities, health workforce shortages, and identify the key barriers to accessing health care by March 31, 2027. Sub-Objectives by PCO Director and Student Worker • Develop and finalize Statewide Needs Assessment Program Goal 2: Shortage Designation Coordination Objective: Annually, coordinate shortage designations ensuring accurate assessment of underservice in Minnesota, including data collection, verification and analysis as needed. Sub-Objectives by PCO Director, HPSA Staff and Student Worker • Update existing HPSAs and seek new designations • Attend required PCO trainings Program Goal 3: Expand Access to Primary Care Objective: Annually, and as needed, coordinate Federal and State Programs with worksites, support provider recruitment and retention, and provide technical assistance to clinicians and worksites. Sub-Objectives by PCO Director, Student Worker, Grants Administrator, and Fiscal Reimbursement Analyst • Collaborate and promote recruitment and retention of providers to shortage areas and facilities • Collaborate in health center planning and development • Collaborate with HRSA partners and other programs and organizations to support access to primary care services • Participate in recruitment and retention events (e.g., job fairs, health education program orientations, local health conferences) throughout Minnesota Program Goal 4: Long-term Plan to Reduce Provider Shortages and Shortage Designations Objective: Create a strategic, long-term plan to reduce healthcare provider shortages and shortage designations in Minnesota by March 31, 2029. Sub-Objectives by PCO Director and HPSA Staff • Target outreach and support for providers located within Minnesota’s health care shortage areas • Exp
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