Primary Care Training and Enhancement: Physician Assistant Rural Training in Mental and Behav. Hlth

ABSTRACT Project Title: A Healthier Appalachia through PA training in Primary Care and Behavioral Health Program: Primary Care Training and Enhancement: Physician Assistant Rural Training in Behavioral Health (PCTE-PARB) Program Applicant Org Name: University of Kentucky, Department of Physician Assistant Studies, 900 S. Limestone, Lexington, KY 40536 Project Director Name: Shelley Irving; Contact Phone Number: (859) 323-1100, (859) 257- 2454 (fax) Email Address: [email protected] Website Address: https://www.uky.edu/chs/physician-assistant-studies Grant Program fund requested: $1,741,776 Short Description: The physical and mental health of many Kentuckians is poor. In 2019, the United Health Foundation ranked Kentucky 43rd out of 50 states in overall health2. In the Appalachian region of Kentucky health is even worse. Mortality in Appalachia from heart disease is 32% higher and mortality from cancer is 18% higher. The number of primary care physicians per 100,000 people in the population is 33% lower in central Appalachian Kentucky than the national average4. Additionally, the CDC data ranked Kentucky the 4th worst state in drug overdose deaths with 55.6 deaths per 100,000 people. Kentucky is in the center of a cluster of states facing similar public health crises. Kentucky as a state and the Appalachian region specifically needs more providers to address primary care, behavioral health and substance use disorder needs. Kentucky has 120 counties with 83% HRSA-designated medically-underserved areas (MUA/P); while 98% of Kentucky’s Appalachian counties contain designated MUA/Ps5, 6. Strikingly, 90% of Kentucky’s counties contain designated HPSAs in both primary care and mental health7. The people living in the Appalachian region are recognized as having a unique and distinct culture blended from Scottish, Irish, and Native American ancestry. Central Appalachia is one of the most impoverished and geographically isolated areas in the country. A Healthier Appalachia through PA training in Primary Care and Behavioral Health will leverage University of Kentucky’s existing infrastructure, expertise, and rural relationships to increase the number of PAs who are specifically trained in integrated behavioral health and substance use disorders to increase the PA health workforce in these rural areas upon graduation. This goal will be achieved by the following three objectives: 1) Establish strategic partnerships that support primary care and behavioral health integration in rural Kentucky. 2) Develop program curriculum to address behavioral health and substance use disorders. 3) Develop 3-month minimum integrated behavioral health clinical rotation(s) in a rural primary care setting(s).