HRSA PCTE Bangor
The Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) grant program is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The purpose of the HRSA-PCTE program is to strengthen the primary care workforce by supporting enhanced training for future primary care clinicians, teachers, and researchers and promoting primary care practice — particularly in rural and underserved areas.
From 2016–2021, preceptors and students will train at Penobscot Community Health Care and will build new competencies as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry, including providing integrated care with other health professionals, creating team-based practice models such as the Patient-Centered Medical Home, and building population health management skills integral to practice transformation. UNE students will include 25 physician assistant, 160 osteopathic medical and 70 pharmacy students as well as 30 preceptors. Additional students may include UNE dental, physical therapy, and social work. Learn more about the PCTE program.
HRSA PCTE Champions Grant: Northern New England Clinical Champions Program
The purpose of the Northern New England Clinical Champions Program (NNE-CCP) is to strengthen the primary care workforce by establishing fellowship programs to train community-based primary care physician and physician assistant champions to lead health care transformation and enhance teaching in community–based settings in the tri-state region of ME, NH and VT. These three rural states have been some of the hardest-hit areas in New England and in the country for opioid addiction and death. As a result, the primary clinical focus will be to reduce the impact of opioid use in the target communities.
From 2018–2023 we will partner with FQHCs serving rural and/or underserved populations. Cohorts will last up to two years and will have up to eight fellows participating in each cohort, with the exception of the last one-year cohort of four fellows. Our clinical affiliates are NHSC-approved sites and are located within HPSAs. The NNE-CCP coordinates with other HRSA-funded initiatives and builds on the success of UNE’s current Bangor-based PCTE program, the purpose of which is to strengthen the primary care workforce of PCPs, PAs, and pharmacists in rural and underserved areas of Maine.
Evaluation
The evaluation of the HRSA PCTE projects will capture the results of the project in terms of the number of students and preceptors trained; changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among those trained; and the effect of the intervention on patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and rural primary care as a chosen profession. Mixed methods will be used, including surveys, focus groups, key informant interviews, and clinical data review.
Learn more about the Center For Excellence in Health Innovation's assessment tools.
Contact Information
Melanie Caldwell | Project Manager | mcaldwell4@une.edu
The Power of Interprofessional Education and Practice
Through collaborations with two key clinical partners, UNE health professions students are gaining valuable clinical interprofessional experience — working with students and providers from several disciplines to provide quality patient care and improve patient outcomes and experience.