On the eve of the 50th Annual Rural Health Conference, coordinated by the Arizona Center for Rural Health, we look back on the many ways that the Center, working in close collaboration with a range of community partners, has made life and health better for rural Arizonans.
On the eve of the 50th Annual Rural Health Conference, a meeting for rural health providers and service organizations from around the state, coordinated by the Arizona Center for Rural Health (AzCRH), we look back on the many ways that the Center, working in close collaboration with a range of community partners, has made life and health better for rural Arizonans. The AzCRH is part of the Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona.
Dan Derksen, MD, Director of the AzCRH and Associate Vice President Health Equity, Outreach & Interprofessional Activities at University of Arizona Health Sciences, has guided the AzCRH team, in close collaboration with many state and local agencies, health providers, and community groups, to improve the health of rural Arizonans. Dr. Derksen considered how the Annual Rural Health Conference has impacted healthcare in the state.
"Each year, for half a century (!) those individuals most passionate, engaged and involved in improving the health of rural Arizonans convene to identify and address unmet rural health needs," wrote Derksen, "We share best practices and innovative initiatives, we develop relationships to tackle the intractable barriers to improving health and reducing disparities in health care access, coverage and outcomes."
Looking back over the past decades, Dr. Derksen identified seven key things that have been accomplished to improve health care and health services in Arizona for rural and underserved communities.
1.
More Arizonans have medical insurance than ever before.
After a significant push by so many people and organizations to expand Medicaid benefits and enroll more Arizonans in medical insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, thousands of Arizonans who never had health insurance before now have some level of coverage. The rate of Arizonans without health insurance has dropped from 20% before the COVID pandemic to 10% today, and that change impacts the lives of thousands of people who can now access health services and preventive care which leads to healthier, longer lives.
2.
The new American Indian Health – Arizona Health Education Center will train much needed healthcare workers for tribal communities.
The Arizona Area Health Education Center (AzAHEC) Program at the University of Arizona Health Sciences recently selected the Arizona Advisory Council on Indian Health Care to collaboratively develop a new American Indian Health AHEC Regional Center dedicated to developing health profession education initiatives and expanding access to health care for tribal communities in Arizona. This new AHEC will train healthcare workers for tribal communities that need the services they provide.
Overall there are six Arizona Area Health Education Centers, and the Arizona AHECs received $7.2 million in funding over five years in a 2022 grant funded jointly by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the State of Arizona.
3.
Arizona now has incentives and funding for Graduate Medical Education primary care residency programs for MDs in community-based settings that will bring doctors to rural hospitals and healthcare providers.
Arizona now has incentives and funding for Graduate Medical Education (GME) primary care residency programs for MDs in community-based settings that will bring doctors to rural hospitals and healthcare providers. Providing these GME opportunities is the single most effective way to retain doctors who were educated in Arizona so they remain here and practice medicine in Arizona.
4.
Arizona AHEC partnered with the Center for Excellence in Rural Education in Payson, AZ, to expand health education in eastern Arizona and build the healthcare workforce.
The Arizona Area Health Education Centers partnered with the Center for Excellence in Rural Education (CERE) to support health care and health education in the eastern Arizona’s Gila County, Graham County, and Greenlee County. This partnership will help educate and build the next generation healthcare workforce for eastern Arizona.
5.
The Primary Care Physician Scholarship Program funds medical students in Tucson and Phoenix who commit to a primary care field of medicine and term of practice in Arizona.
The Primary Care Physician (PCP) Scholarship Program funds medical students in the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson and College of Medicine – Phoenix who dedicate themselves to a primary care field of medicine and commit to practice in a rural or urban underserved area of Arizona for up to four years, depending on how many years they receive the scholarship. Launched in 2020, this program is already boosting the supply of primary care doctors and other healthcare providers in underserved regions of the state.
6.
The Center for Rural Health now gathers and tracks data to identify healthcare workforce shortages and informs state leadership to advance programs that will build up the health care workforce in Arizona.
The Center for Rural Health now gathers and tracks data to identify healthcare workforce shortages and informs deliberations in the state legislature related to programs and funding to build up the healthcare workforce in Arizona. The Arizona healthcare workforce data includes doctors and nurse practitioners.
7.
The Center for Rural Health now has access to important data about healthcare workers collected by state healthcare provider licensing boards, data that will inform health policy decisions and help measure progress.
The Center for Rural Health now has access to data gathered as a result of new legislation that requires state licensing boards to provide healthcare workforce data at the time of licensing and renewal. The new data includes licensed nurses, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other licensed health professionals. This new data set will inform health policy decisions and help to measure progress.
Impressive Progress, Persistent Focus
All of us in the Zuckerman College of Public Health are inspired by the progress the Arizona Center for Rural Health has made in recent decades despite challenging circumstances and inconsistent support. We know that the leadership and staff at the Center remain dedicated to the health and wellness of all Arizonans, and want to provide quality healthcare and preventive care for all.
"The Arizona Center for Rural Health has made so much progress to improve healthcare and health services all around the state,” said Iman Hakim, dean of the Zuckerman College of Public Health, “Dr. Dan Derksen has built a smart, dedicated team that uses data to shape policy and direct resources and what they have accomplished improves the lives of thousands of people in Arizona. They are doing great things, and they don’t give up."
