The grants represent the first time funding has been directed to community entities to build residency programs, which have traditionally been located in hospitals. The new program’s focus is two-fold: to support and train community-based providers in their own environment, and to create a stronger health care workforce.
The Community Health Center of the New River Valley (CHCNRV) has been awarded a $500,000, 2-year Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) planning grant to develop a Teaching Health Center Residency Program in dentistry.
The planning grant will support the work of building a program, developing a training curriculum, recruiting clinical faculty, retooling workflow to integrate residents, and achieving accreditation.
Upon completing the grant and receipt of dental accreditation, the CHCNRV will formally become a Teaching Health Center and begin accepting dentists to complete a one-year post-graduate rotation.
CHCNRV was one of only two grant recipients in Virginia among the 46 awarded nationwide.
“We are excited to be a part of the solution of bringing more dental care professionals into rural health,” said Michelle Brauns, MS, APR, Chief Executive Officer of Community Health Center. “The Teaching Health Center residency program will also provide a predictable, secure workforce pipeline so that we have dentists constantly in service to provide for the dental needs of our community.”