U of M Academic Health Center Receives $3.4 Million Grant Renewal for Minnesota Area Health Education Center

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (December 17, 2008) - The University of Minnesota Academic Health Center was awarded nearly $3.4 million in federal funding to expand the Minnesota Area Health Education Center (MN AHEC) from four to six regions to better address primary care workforce shortages.

"Minnesota is facing shortages of physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, public health professionals and other key health professions leaders," said Barbara Brandt, Ph.D., assistant vice president for education, Academic Health Center, and director, Minnesota MN AHEC. "Through Minnesota AHEC, the University of Minnesota is working with communities at a regional level to develop strategies to educate, recruit, and retain primary care professionals in the future."

The additional funding allows MN AHEC to expand its reach from 64 to 76 underserved counties in Minnesota. The funding will continue the development of AHECs in central, northeastern, northwestern, and southwestern Minnesota and establish AHECs in North Minneapolis and southeastern Minnesota over the next two years. The grant is crucial to meeting the health care needs of Minnesota, specifically increasingly minority representation in health services, expanding the primary care provider workforce, and supporting community-based training of various health professions in rural and urban underserved areas.

The goal of AHEC is to work at a local level to nurture an interest in health careers among youth; identify and support students with an interest in rural health; further develop an infrastructure for disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and community-based clinical rotations; and support health professionals at the regional level with professional development opportunities. The funding of MN AHEC represents a federal acknowledgement of health disparities in rural and inner-city areas and an invested response to further develop the health professional workforce in these underserved areas.

The grant, funded through the Bureau of Health Professions in the Health Resources and Services Administration, provides federal dollars matched with University and community resources to develop a sustainable partnership between educators, community practitioners, health institutions, agencies, and students. The grant will be distributed over the next three years.

The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota's six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.

Contact:
Jenna Langer, Academic Health Center, 612-626-4784 or lang0712@umn.edu
Sara Martin, Academic Health Center, 612-626-7037 or buss@umn.edu