HIGHLIGHTS
- The demand for healthcare services in the United States is outpacing the number of care providers.
- Abt will provide virtual technical assistance for care providers entering the National Health Service Corps (NHSC).
- Abt’s TA will build providers’ capacity to engage with their communities.
PROJECT
NHSC Pipeline Readiness Technical Assistance (TA) initiative
The Challenge
The demand for healthcare services in the United States is outpacing the number of care providers, and projections show that trend continuing into the future, exacerbating an already overstretched healthcare system. Worse still, the communities most in need face systemic inequities and are typically those with the fewest primary healthcare providers. Undeserved communities face limited access to healthcare due to many factors, from remote or rural locations, to deep-rooted challenges like fewer educational opportunities, poverty, food insecurity, lack of affordable housing and other social determinants of health. Such challenges contribute to the attrition of health care providers.
The Approach
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce enlisted Abt Global and the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) to improve support for those entering the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), the federal program placing clinicians in underserved areas in exchange for loan repayment. Abt will provide virtual technical assistance and is partnering with ACU, which was founded by NHSC alumni and is a recognized leader in clinician workforce recruitment and retention.
The Results
The NHSC Pipeline Readiness Technical Assistance (TA) initiative will support new clinicians and NHSC clinic sites by building capacity to engage with their communities. Abt is developing a community-based assessment guide and community spotlights to help them identify stakeholders and detail health outcomes and social demographics. Abt is also developing resources to address local health disparities and patient social determinants of health in day-to-day practice, and educational products and case studies to promote clinician wellbeing and resiliency.
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