The Virginia Department of Health, Office of Health Equity (VDH, OHE) seeks to address health inequities in Virginia, in keeping up with VDH’s goal of becoming the healthiest state in the Nation. Incentive programs offered by the Office of Health Equity address health care shortage areas and specialties that directly influence the health of Virginia residents. Specifically, these programs address shortage areas of health professionals, medically underserved populations, and other shortages designated by the Governor as having a critical need. Incentive programs focus on increasing access in the areas of primary care, dental health and mental health. Access to these critical services may be limited due to lack of providers, travel time to the nearest sources of care and poverty, etc.

Health workforce is a significant component in population health, in any health care system, and is critical to improving and increasing health care accessibility. Approaches to improve access and decrease shortages are fundamental to attaining adequate health services for all patient types in all areas of Virginia.

One of the programs that VDH, OHE administers is the Virginia State Loan Repayment Program (VA- SLRP). The purpose of the VA- SLRP is to improve and increase access to quality health care providers in Virginia’s Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). VDH, OHE, will continue to work to diversify the healthcare workforce, and ensure standards for on-going learning on cultural humility and equity.

In observance of the National Rural Health Day, VA- SLRP will recognize all of the health providers to whom it has made awards who have worked in underserved communities in Virginia.  The purpose of this event is to build a rural health community of providers who have a heart for rural health medicine. Our goal is to encourage providers, help them encourage each other, and recognize and promote rural health in Virginia.

We are seeking partnership/sponsors for the National Rural Health Day event on November 21, 2019 from 12:30pm-4:00pm at Quality Inn Dutch Inn, Collinsville Virginia.  For more information, contact Olivette Burroughs at olivette.burroughs@vdh.virginia.gov.