What
You
Need
to
Know
OME
Community
Serves
the
Underserved
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Increasing access to primary care in medically underserved areas is a key mission of many of our nation’s colleges of osteopathic medicine. Katie Marney, second-year student at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine (OSU-COM), was motivated to help underserved patients after witnessing firsthand the
harmful and far-reaching effects
a
lack
of
health
care
access
has
on a
community,
and
as
she
states,
her
story
is
not
unique.
For
the
many
individuals
passionate
about
becoming
osteopathic
physicians
who
work
in
underserved
communities,
there
are
federal
opportunities
available,
such
as
scholarships
and
loan
repayment
programs
for
veterans,
American Indians and Alaska Natives,
and
disadvantaged students
highlighted
below.
AACOM
continues
to
support
and
promote
such
programs
that
help
the
osteopathic
medical
education
(OME)
community
fulfill
its
important
mission
of
improving
access
to
care
for
underserved
patients.
AACOM
Office
of
Government
Relations
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Senate
Veterans’
Affairs
Committee
Holds
Hearing
on
the
MISSION
Act
On
February
5,
the
U.S.
Senate
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
held a hearing
focused
on
the
U.S.
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
Community
Care
Network
(CCN),
which
was
established
by
the
VA Maintaining Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act of 2018.
The
VA
CCN
provides greater flexibility
for
veterans
to
receive
non-VA
hospital
care,
medical
services,
and
extended
care
services
from
community
providers.
During
the
hearing,
committee
members
stressed
the
importance
of
ensuring
CCN
implementation
works
both
for
veterans
and
the
VA.
The
MISSION Act
also
created
pilot
programs
to
establish
medical
residency
programs,
provided
scholarships
to
physicians
and
dentists
in
exchange
for
service
to
the
VA,
and
established
the
VA
Specialty
Education
Loan
Repayment
Program
to
improve
recruitment
and
retainment
of
specific
medical
specialties.
At
Educating Leaders 2020,
AACOM’s
annual
conference,
Veterans
Health
Administration
officials
Anthony
Albanese,
MD,
and
Edward
T.
Bope,
MD,
will
offer
a
brief
look
at
the
MISSION Act
as
part
of
their
session
on
Creating Great Clinical Rotations with the VA
and
will
discuss
partnership
opportunities
between
the
VA
and
colleges
of
osteopathic
medicine.
AACOM
continues
to
work closely with the VA
as
it
implements
other
provisions of importance
within
the
MISSION Act
to
the
OME
community.
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How Grad PLUS Loans Help OSU-COM Student Serve the Underserved
Katie Marney, second-year student at OSU-COM, knew she wanted to be a physician since she was young. Her passion to help communities in need developed after she witnessed firsthand how the lack of health care access affects students and families. Learn how Grad PLUS loans will help Katie care for patients who need her most.
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Financial
Aid
Experts
Share
Advice
on
Paying
for
Medical
School;
AACOM
Launches
2020
Educational
Debt
Management
Modules
On
January
30,
two
members
of
AACOM’s
Council
of
Student
Financial
Aid
Administrators
answered
prospective
osteopathic
medical
students’
questions
about
financing
their
education
as
part
of
AACOM’s
Choose DO Medical School Virtual Expo.
Christine
L.
Willse,
MBA,
Associate
Director
of
Student
Financial
Aid,
Rowan
University
School
of
Osteopathic
Medicine
–
Stratford
Campus,
and
Nicole
McMillin,
MPA,
Director
of
Financial
Aid,
Idaho
College
of
Osteopathic
Medicine,
shared
their
expertise
and
advice
for
making
informed
financial
decisions
with
expo
attendees.
Among
the
resources
Christine
and
Nicole
provided
were
AACOM’s
Financial
Aid
Debt
Management
Modules,
which
help
osteopathic
medical
students
borrow
strategically
and
ensure
they
are
prepared
to
responsibly
repay
their
loans
after
they
graduate
and
enter
residency
training.
AACOM
recently
launched
its
2020 modules series,
which
can
be
used
by
financial
aid
administrators
to
support
or
enhance
their
school’s
educational
debt
management
programs
and
counseling,
or
within
schools’
general
financial
literacy
programs.
For
more
detail
about
the
new
modules,
please view this informational flyer.
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Become
an
Award-Winning
Advocate
this
Awards
Season
ED
to
MED’s
Outstanding
Advocate
of
the
Year
Award
is
presented
to
an
advocate
who
goes
above
and
beyond
to
fight
for
the
future
health
care
workforce
and
patients
around
the
country.
In
addition
to
raising
their
voice,
this
stand
out
advocate
makes
advocacy
a
priority
in
their
lives,
leads
by
example,
and
encourages
others
to
get
involved.
Get inspired to advocate this awards season!
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Administration
and
Federal
Agencies
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Apply
Now:
Indian
Health
Service
Health
Professions
Scholarship
Program
Prospective
and
enrolled
health
professions
students
who
are
members
of
a
federally
recognized
American
Indian
Tribe
or
are
Alaska
Natives
may
submit
their
application
to
the
Indian
Health
Service
by
7:00
PM
ET
on
February
28
for
the
Health
Professions
Scholarship
Program.
The
scholarship
program
supports
tuition
and
certain
fees,
as
applicable
for
the
degree
program,
for
up
to
four
years
of
full-time
or
part-time
academic
work,
in
exchange
for
the
fulfillment
of
a
two-year
service
commitment
in
full-time
clinical
practice
at
an
Indian
health
facility
upon
graduation.
View more information and how to apply for the 2020 – 2021 academic year.
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Rural
Communities
Opioid
Response
Funding
Opportunity
The
Health
Resources
and
Services
Administration
(HRSA)
Office
of
Rural
Health
Policy
announced
funding
for
the
Rural
Communities
Opioid
Response
Program-Implementation,
which
will
provide
$1 million to recipients
to
strengthen
and
expand
substance
use
disorder
prevention,
treatment,
and
recovery
services
in
high-risk
rural
communities.
Proposals
must
implement
evidence-based
interventions
and
practices
that
are
in
alignment
with
the
U.S.
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services’
Five-Point Strategy to Combat the Opioid Crisis.
Further,
HRSA
encourages
applicants
to
leverage
workforce
recruitment
and
retention
programs
such
as
the
National
Health
Service
Corps.
Interested
applicants
should
submit
proposals
by
April
24
and
may
participate
in
an
application webinar
on
February
25
from
1:00
PM
–
2:00
PM
ET.
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ED
Simplifies
Loan
Forgiveness
Application
Process
On
January
30,
the
U.S.
Department
of
Education
(ED)
announced
its
intent to streamline
the
forms
that
borrowers
must
complete
when
applying
to
receive
loan
forgiveness
through
the
Public
Service
Loan
Forgiveness
(PSLF)
and
Temporary
Expanded
PSLF
(TEPSLF)
Programs.
The
TEPSLF
Program
was
created
to
allow
borrowers
enrolled
in
a
non-qualifying
loan
repayment
program,
but
otherwise
eligible
for
PSLF,
to be reconsidered for loan forgiveness.
The
single,
revised
form,
allows
borrowers
to
submit
one
form
for
both
programs
and
addresses
a
paperwork
technicality
that
caused
borrowers
to
be
denied
TEPSLF
because
they
had
not
first
applied
for
and
been
denied
PSLF.
The
new
form
will
also
assist
the
Department
in
its
review
and
loan
forgiveness
determination
process.
ED
is
receiving
comments
on
the
notice
through
March
30.
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ED
Proposes
New
Policies
for
Faith-Based
Institutions
In
response
to
the
Executive Order signed last year
related
to
freedom
of
speech
at
colleges
and
universities,
ED
recently
published
a
notice
of
proposed
rulemaking
(NPRM)
to
help ensure nondiscrimination
against
faith-based
organizations,
clarify
the
rights
and
eligibility
of
faith-based
organizations
to
receive
grants
from
ED,
and
strengthen
religious
freedom
protections.
The
NPRM
also
requires
organizations
to
adhere
to
certain
policies
as
a
condition
of
receiving
those
grants.
According
to
the
NPRM,
if
an
institution
did
not
previously
receive
a
direct
federal
financial
assistance
grant
because
of
an
“inherently
religious
activity,”
it
may
be
eligible
under
the
new
“explicitly
religious
activity”
language.
AACOM
is
evaluating
the
proposal
and
will
continue
to
keep
its
membership
informed
as
the
rulemaking
process
moves
forward.
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Featured Federal
Resources and
COM Engagement
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Reminder:
Apply for
HRSA
Addiction
Medicine
Fellowship
Program by
February
25: The
HRSA Addiction
Medicine
Fellowship
Program aims to
increase access
in underserved
communities to
board certified
addiction
professionals
who integrate
primary care
with mental
health and
substance use
disorder
prevention and
treatment.
Eligible
applicants
include
U.S.-based
sponsoring
institutions of
accredited
addiction
medicine or
addiction
psychiatry
fellowship
programs. View technical assistance webinar recordings and learn more.
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Reminder:
Apply for
HRSA Funding
Opportunity
for
Disadvantaged
Students by
March 3:
The HRSA
Scholarship for
Disadvantaged
Students Program
strives to
promote
diversity in the
health
professions by
providing awards
to accredited
schools of
osteopathic
medicine, among
others, that
then provide
scholarships of
up to $40,000 to
students from
disadvantaged
backgrounds who
have a
demonstrated
financial need,
including
students of
racial and
ethnic minority
groups.
Participating
schools are
responsible for
selecting
scholarship
recipients,
making
reasonable
determinations
of need, and providing scholarships.
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Reminder:
Apply for
NIH Funding
to Research
Intersection
of Opioid
Use and Pain
Management
by March
13:
Investigators
with active
grants in the
area of chronic
pain and/or
addiction are
encouraged to
apply to the
National
Institutes of
Health Notice of
Special Interest
for research on
pain management in the context of opioid use or opioid use disorder.
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