2018 Corps Community Month #NHSCProud

Last month, community health centers and health care agencies across the country celebrated Corps Community Month – a month during which National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and NURSE Corps participants are acknowledged for their commitment to providing quality primary care to underserved communities within the US and US territories.

Dionne Kotey, Programs Coordinator

The NHSC program provides scholarships and loan repayment opportunities to medical, dental, and behavioral health primary care clinicians in exchange for a commitment to practice within NHSC-approved sites, which are all located in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). The NURSE Corps program similarly provides tuition assistance to students who have been accepted or are enrolled in accredited associate, baccalaureate, or graduate nursing degree programs.

In Connecticut, over 260 NHSC primary care clinicians currently work within NHSC-eligible health services sites across the state. Forty-six current NURSE Corps participants are either currently practicing or preparing to practice at an NHSC-eligible site upon completion of their studies.

This year, CHCACT commemorated Corps Community Month by partnering with the Connecticut Department of Public Health Primary Care Office to educate 29 medical students at Quinnipiac University in New Haven about NHSC programs, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and primary care. CHCACT thanks Dr. Mari Iturbe-Ortiz, Pediatrician at Southwest Community Health Center, and Dr. Desreen Dudley, Clinical Psychologist at Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center – both current NHSC clinicians – for taking the time to speak with the students about their experience in the NHSC program and why they chose primary care.

On Wednesday, November 14, 2018, CHCACT, in collaboration with the CT Department of Public Health and Eastern CT Area Health Education Center (Eastern CT AHEC), will host a networking event to acknowledge previous and current NHSC and NURSE Corps participants, as well as advocates of these critical programs for their commitment to primary care in Connecticut. This event will also give health professions students, residents and providers interested in primary care and the NHSC/NURSE Corps programs an opportunity to learn, network with each other, and find mentors. This event marks the sixth year in a row that CHCACT has hosted the annual CT Corps Community Day celebration.

This year, CHCACT is pleased to be presenting awards to three individuals who exemplify the mission of the NHSC/NURSE Corps programs during the Corps Community Day celebration. The award categories include the NHSC participant of the year, the NHSC alumnus of the year, and the NHSC advocate of the year. Sixteen unique individuals were nominated for these awards.

Click on the following links to learn more about the NHSC and NURSE Corps programs. We are excited to see Connecticut’s NHSC and NURSE Corps health care heroes and advocates at this year’s event, which will be held Wednesday, November 14^th from 5-7pm at the Hog River Brewing Company in Hartford. Please RSVP here or email dkotey@chcact.org.

Don’t forget to vote tomorrow! Have a great week.

Dionne.