Friday, September 22, 2023
9/22/2023
ABSTRACT Project Title: Statewide Florida AHEC Consortium U77HP03051 Organization: University of Florida College of Medicine Mailing Address: P.O. Box 100008, Gainesville, Florida 32610 Primary Contact: Daniel Rubin, MD Email: rubind@ufl.edu Website: www.ahec.health.ufl.edu Phone: 352/273-8530 Project Period: September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2027 Phone: 352/273-8530 Florida faces major challenges in reducing disparities in several important health indicators. Among these include limited access to primary care services in minority, low-income, and rural communities where low immunization rates, scarce prenatal services, and inadequate management of several health conditions contribute to higher mortality from diabetes, cancer, stroke, and heart disease among the state’s rural and underserved communities. The University of Florida AHEC Program on behalf of the three Regional AHEC Programs located at the University of Miami, University of South Florida, and at Nova Southeastern University and ten regional AHEC Centers submits this application for POSME funding in the amount of $7,400,000 as the Statewide Florida AHEC Consortium. The Consortium will continue efforts to equip the current and future primary care workforce with the requisite skills to improve health outcomes of the nearly 3 million residents living in Florida’s culturally diverse, medically underserved areas. The Consortium will employ strategies that reduce health disparities by providing learning opportunities that highlight the health impacts of the social determinants of health on minority and rural communities. Project goals this 5-year grant period, (2022-2027) include 1) Preparing a diverse, culturally competent primary care workforce that can address the needs of the communities, 2) Improving workforce distribution, and 3) Developing and maintaining a health care workforce that is prepared to d eliver high quality care in a transforming health care delivery system with an emphasis on rural and underserved areas and communities. Key strategic partners in our training and education endeavors include the Florida Coalition of Community Health Workers, the Florida Public Health Association and the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Tobacco-Free Florida. For health professions students, the Consortium will continue the highly successful, AHEC Scholars Program designed to provide extracurricular training to health professions students on how to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams and provide patient-centered, cross culturally responsive care. To increase diversity in the workforce, the Consortium will provide opportunities for high school students from underrepresented minority groups and rural area to explore career opportunities in health and to serve as public health scholars in their communities. Finally, the Consortium will offer services that facilitate clinical practice transformation and support continuous quality improvement to practicing health professionals. A statewide evaluation of program components will be conducted to assess program impact. The evaluation will include an assessment of program implementation using process indicators, an outcomes-based evaluation assessing achievement of learning objectives, and a longitudinal assessment of AHEC scholars. The evaluation will explore the extent to which AHEC training initiatives prepare program completers to address complex health that occur frequently among underserved populations.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
