UAMS on Monday announced it received a $17.6 million federal grant renewal to advance its goal of increasing the number of practicing primary care physicians in the state.
The four-year grant aims to recruit and retain medical students who are from rural or underserved communities and who are interested in practicing in those areas after their residencies, UAMS said in a news release.
Funding will support a variety of initiatives on UAMS Regional Campuses, such as:
- Recruitment and outreach programs for prospective students
- Scholarships for medical students interested in primary care specialties (family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology or pediatrics)
- A faculty mentorship program to connect students with primary care physicians
- Community immersion rotations for students in rural and medically underserved areas
- Faculty development for community physician preceptors
“These efforts allow us to highlight the significant value that primary care physicians bring to their communities, specifically communities in rural Arkansas,” Marcia Byers, senior director of UAMS Regional Campuses, said in the release.
The grant is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Association of American Medical Colleges in 2020 ranked Arkansas at No. 13 among states with the greatest need for primary care physicians. The organization found that Arkansas had 83 active primary care physicians per 100,000 people, compared with a nationwide rate of 94.7 physicians per 100,000 people.
“It’s important that we train more physicians in primary care, knowing that we’ll also see an increase in access for patients in their communities,” said Dr. Richard Turnage, vice chancellor for UAMS Regional Campuses.
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