MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia Area Health Education Centers (WV AHEC) has acquired a grant renewal price $7.2 million to help 5 facilities all through the state.

According to WVU Health Sciences, the grant might be given out over 5 years at $1,442,500 per yr and was awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration to assist the facilities enhance native well being training and coaching networks.

“The overarching goals of the West Virginia Area Health Education Centers include diversity, distribution and practice transformation,” Jessica Stidham, Rural Community Health Scholars program supervisor, mentioned. “Working toward these goals, the grant supports the Rural Community Health Scholars program, community-based experiential training, interprofessional education and pipeline programming that serves West Virginians through the development and maintenance of a health care workforce that is prepared to deliver high quality care in a changing health care delivery system.”

Serving 50 counties in West Virginia, WV AHEC works with these concerned with well being in addition to well being professionals. Part of that’s by way of the Rural Community Health Scholars program, which helps “prepare individuals to work in rural and underserved communities by providing supplemental educational opportunities.”

“Participating in this programming provides a foundation for WVU health professions students to not only critically assess the needs of rural populations in West Virginia, but also see how they can work together as an interprofessional team to mitigate the barriers to health care facing our communities and create change for West Virginians,” Stidham mentioned.