The views expressed in this report are
solely those of the Advisory Committee
on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based
Linkages and do not represent the views
of the Health Resources and Services Administration
or the U.S. Government.
The Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary,
Community-Based Linkages (the Committee)
provides advice and recommendations on
programs authorized under Title VII, Part
D of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act,
as amended. The Committee is governed
by provisions of Public law 92-463, as
amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2).
The Committee views community-based,
interdisciplinary training as the most
effective way to prepare the Nation’s
health care workforce to meet the health
care-related needs of our Nation’s most
vulnerable populations including the socio-economically
disadvantaged and geographically isolated,
as well as the elderly, children, chronically
ill, and disabled persons. Federal Title
VII, Part D, Section 751 through 756 Community-Based,
Interdisciplinary Training Grant Programs,
hereafter referred to as the Title VII
Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Training
Grant Programs, ensure that health care
professionals are able to address the
many challenges related to providing high-quality
services to unserved and underserved populations
and communities. The efforts of the Title
VII Interdisciplinary, Community-Based
Training Grant Program grantees, as educators
and providers of ongoing training, ensure
that sufficient numbers of providers are
well-qualified to meet the diverse health
care needs of our Nation.
In 2005, the Committee met three times
to hear testimony, discuss findings, and
develop recommendations for the guidance
of HRSA staff and the Title VII Interdisciplinary,
Community-Based Training Grant Programs.
This Fifth Report of the Committee focuses
on two issues: 1) the allied health professions,
which comprises approximately two-thirds
of the Nation’s health workforce; and
2) interdisciplinary education and training,
which are unique elements of the Title
VII Interdisciplinary, Community-Based
Training Grant Programs.
Both of these issues have significant
impact on the training of health care
professionals, the future availability
of health care professionals, and the
quality of their skills. Throughout the
testimony, the Committee heard of the
current shortages of health care providers,
as well as the challenges to the adoption
of innovative and effective approaches,
which may result in a reduction of the
overall quality and availability of care.
Brief summaries of the Committee’s recommendations
are listed below.
Allied
Health
- Congress should enact the Allied Health
Reinvestment Act with revisions as proposed
by the Committee. The Act seeks to address
the profound shortages of qualified
health professionals to care for a bourgeoning
population of aging and/or disabled
persons. Enhancement of the health care
workforce depends upon an investment
in the education and training programs
that will produce competent and qualified
allied health professionals to provide
needed services. Inclusions of the Allied
Health Reinvestment Act into Title VII,
Section 755, will require creation of
additional sections.
- The Congress should appropriate no
less than the previous funding level
of $35 million specifically for allied
health programs to support interdisciplinary,
community-based education and training
projects. The current shortage of trained
health professionals, particularly in
certain allied health fields, reflects
a declining level of support from prior
years since 1972. The Title VII Interdisciplinary,
Community-Based Training Grant Programs
can be expanded and augmented to support
the kinds of interdisciplinary education
and training necessary to increase the
number of allied health providers in
the workforce. This will require additional
efforts to recruit, develop, and retain
faculty in the allied health professions.
- The Committee recommends expansion
of the Title VII Interdisciplinary,
Community-Based Training Grant Programs,
including innovative projects for defined
local and regional training needs; faculty
development demonstration grants; workforce
data centers; partnerships with higher
education institutions (such as 2-year
community colleges, tribal colleges,
historically Black colleges and universities,
Hispanic serving institutions, and Asian/Pacific
Islander education institutions); rapid
transition training programs for individuals
in health-related sciences; and demonstration
centers to emphasize best practices
and innovative models to link clinical
practice, education, and research in
allied health services.
- Congress should support demonstration
projects in which chiropractors and
physicians collaborate with other health
professions, including allied health
in the delivery of effective treatments
for spinal and lower back conditions.
- The Committee supports previous recommendations
to move the field of podiatry to Section
747. An additional funding increment
for interdisciplinary education involving
podiatric students and residents is
requested, which would enhance integration
of podiatric training and education
into interdisciplinary primary care
venues.
- The Committee re-states its previous
recommendation to create a new Section
757 to support behavioral mental health
through graduate psychology education,
geriatric psychology, and graduate social
work education. Additional funding is
recommended to meet increasing needs
for those health problems that have
a strong behavioral basis for which
mental and behavioral health services
are essential.
- The Committee recommends that the
statutory authorization of the Committee
be continued, in order that the Secretary,
Congress, HRSA staff, and Title VII
Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Training
Grant Programs may have access to a
knowledgeable, broad-based, and coordinated
consultative body for review and recommendations.
Given the current uncertainties of this
and related legislation, the Committee
strongly urges the Congress to continue
to support and build upon this essential
group of interdisciplinary, community-based
education and training programs.
Interdisciplinary
Education and Training
- The Committee recommends that the
following definition for interdisciplinary
educational development and training
be used by the Bureau of Health Professions
(BHPr) for all Title VII Interdisciplinary,
Community-Based Training Grant Programs.
“Interdisciplinary educational development
and training is defined as the collaborative
process by which an interdisciplinary
team of health care professionals—faculty,
clinical preceptors, community health
care providers—collaborate, plan,
and coordinate an interdisciplinary
program of education and training.
The collaborative process requires
the preparation and functioning of
interdisciplinary teams who share
knowledge and decision making with
the purpose of creating solutions
to health care problems that transcend
conventional discipline-specific methods
and work together in service of patient-centered
and/or community-centered health care
needs.”
- BHPr should facilitate and strengthen
the grant application process by requiring
applicants to identify interdisciplinary
competencies, describe how proposed
learning objectives and competencies
will be evaluated and measured, and
discuss plans for institutionalizing
interdisciplinary education and training
projects.
- BHPr should develop common interdisciplinary
performance and outcome measures to
evaluate the effectiveness of interdisciplinary
education and training programs funded
by Title VII, Part D.
- BHPr should provide more technical
assistance to grantees in the areas
of mentorship, networking, and dissemination
of best practice models.
- BHPr should facilitate a joint meeting
of appropriate advisory committees or
advisory committee representatives to
discuss interdisciplinary education
and training.
- HRSA should convene a consensus conference
on interdisciplinary professional education
and training or make interdisciplinary
professional education and training
a significant topic of the next BHPr
all grantee meeting.
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