Major Grant Helps to Enhance Rural Health
Grant Totaling $2 Million Over 5 Years to Provide Innovative Physician Assistant Training in Behavioral Health in Rural Areas
Touro University California (TUC) was awarded a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that will provide $443,000 annually over five years (totaling $2 million) to support Physician Assistant (PA) students' primary care training in rural and underserved areas, with additional focus with on mental health.
The Rural Education and Community Health (REACH) for PA Students program is designed to enhance student training through extended clinical rotations in isolated communities. Longer rotation lengths will allow PA students to deliver both primary and behavioral health care to residents with limited access to medical care. The program aims to produce well-rounded, compassionate, and resilient PA professionals by providing education that includes healthcare provider wellbeing and burnout interventions.
Additionally, a new certificate program, focusing on behavioral health, will be integrated into the classroom and clinical PA curriculum to improve mental and behavioral health skills for students.
“We’ll offer more training in psychiatry, motivational interviewing, and counseling methodology to better support our patients,” says Dr. Joy Moverley, Assistant Dean, College of Education and Health Sciences and PA Program Director for the Joint PA and Public Health Program.
“Writing a 60-something-page grant involves pouring a lot of tears and love into it,” says Moverley of working on the proposal. “It also became a great teaching opportunity to include a new graduate in the composition of the grant. Madison Sisk, who just graduated from the MPH program, helped me write some of it.”
Having funded the program, Moverley will pass the leadership baton to Lisa Thomas, 2017 TUC PA alumna, as Project Director. Thomas’ significant experience, background, and passion make her a perfect fit to lead REACH for PA Students according to Moverley. Currently working as a TUC Clinical Coordinator, Thomas is also the Northern California Clinical Rotation Recruitment Coordinator and an Emergency Medicine Clinical Preceptor in Stockton.
“Witnessing the growth and development of students under my guidance has reinforced my commitment to fostering a new generation of healthcare providers capable of addressing the unique challenges in under-resourced communities,” says Thomas of her preceptor role.
To begin, REACH is partnering with Communicare+Ole (CCO) and Round Valley Indian Health Clinic (RVIHC) and will expand to include new Northern California partnership sites. Thomas is actively working to secure new rural clinical agreements.
PA students currently have an opportunity to do a rotation at RVIHC already, but the participant opportunities are limited to eight students annually for six weeks. With the funding, the program will expand to 17 openings for 12-week primary care rotations. The increase in duration allows the PA students to address behavioral health issues for patients, but also mental health, well-being, and burnout for the providers in the clinics. It also includes self-care techniques, to address PA student burnout.
“You’ve got to take care of yourself before you can take care of other people,” says Thomas.