Associated Health RFP Outcomes

 

• Psychology Internships with a Rural Focus
• Physical Therapy Residency
• Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship with a Hepatitis C and HIV Emphasis
• Physician Assistant Residency 

The Associated Health Section of the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA, 10A2D) is pleased to announce that selections have been made based on proposals received for all four of the Requests for Proposals (RFPs) released in June/July of this year.  These RFPs were for Psychology Internships with a Rural Focus, Physical Therapy Residencies, Psychology Fellowships with an Emphasis in Hepatitis C and HIV, and Physician Assistant Residencies, all targeted to begin training in July-September 2012.  Selected trainees for each of the programs will be appointed for one year, full-time training positions. Continuation of funding will depend on availability of funds as well as successful development and implementation of the proposed programs.

Psychology Internship with a Rural Focus

The Office of Academic Affiliations has selected nine new Psychology Internship Programs that will have a focus on the needs of Rural Veterans. This program reallocates existing resources toward three of the following transformational initiatives, including;

• Increase Investment in Mental Health
• Excellence in Education
• Access to care in rural areas

The RFP was issued in July 2011 and required that eligible sites must either be located in rural or highly rural settings or predominantly serve Veterans from rural and highly rural areas.  A panel of distinguished psychology training directors reviewed the proposals submitted and recommended the nine sites for approval.  Each successful proposal fully embraced the rural nature of the training site and will enthusiastically develop training programs that will emphasize the unique rural character of the locale.
The new Internship sites will be located at:

• Chillicothe OH
• Fargo ND
• Iron Mountain MI
• Nebraska – Western Iowa
• Northern Arizona
• Sheridan WY
• Spokane – Walla Walla WA
• Texas Valley Coastal Bend

 

Physical Therapy Residency

OAA solicited proposals for up to 6 new resident positions in Physical Therapy to be located at 3-6 sites.  As the entry level educational degree has transitioned from the masters to the doctorate, the PT residency has been developed as a method to provide additional depth of education and training experience for physical therapists.  To ensure relevance to Veterans’ current health care needs, the RFP required application in one of four specialty areas: Neurologic Clinical Specialist in Physical Therapy, Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in Physical Therapy, Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Clinical Specialist in Physical Therapy or Geriatric Clinical Specialty in Physical Therapy.
A total of eight proposals were received and reviewed by a panel of distinguished physical therapy training directors.  Five sites were selected to receive six resident positions.  The new Physical Therapy Residency Pilot will be conducted at the following sites listed with the designated specialty areas:

• Ann Arbor, MI  (Cardio-Pulmonary)
• Cincinnati, OH  (Geriatrics)
• Durham, NC  (Geriatrics)
• Salt Lake City, UT  (Orthopedic)
• Tampa, FL  (Orthopedic and Neurologic)

 

Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship with an Emphasis in Hepatitis C and HIV

The VHA Clinical Public Health Program Office (CPHP), part of the VHA Public Health Strategic Health Care Group (PHSHG) within the Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards, in collaboration with OAA released an RFP in June 2011 seeking proposals for a maximum award of three postdoctoral fellowships with an emphasis on the mental health treatment of Hepatitis C and HIV.  The RFP had a particular focus on the training of psychologists in this increasing area of need, considering the likelihood that new HCV treatments will become available in 2011 and are expected to greatly increase treatment response rates for eligible patients. PHSHG will distribute funding through OAA to VA facilities for stipends, VA’s share of the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) contributions, and for VA’s share of health and life insurance premiums.

A panel of various distinguished education leaders, including several prominent psychologists within VA, reviewed eight proposals and recommended three for award.  The new Psychology fellowships with an emphasis in Hepatitis C and HIV will be located in:

• Houston, TX
• Jackson, MS
• Seattle, WA

Physician Assistant Residency

OAA has long recognized a need for developing and recruiting highly skilled Physician Assistants (PA), particularly in the areas of Geriatric/Disease/Complex Care specialty.  This has become particularly salient with the emergence of Patient Aligned Care Teams throughout VA and with the continuing national shortage of primary care physicians.  Accordingly, OAA committed to develop a PA Residency program pilot to determine if these needs can be met through the introduction of a new model of development.

In pursuit of this goal, OAA solicited proposals for new PA residency programs with a particular emphasis on integration into an interprofessional model of collaborative care with physician and other associated health trainees.  The RFP cited a plan for award of up to 12 resident positions to be located in 3-6 sites for the first year.
A distinguished panel of educational leaders and experts in the Physician Assistant program, both from within VA and from prestigious universities around the country, met to review and provide recommendation for award from the fourteen submitted proposals.  Two residency positions were awarded to each of these six sites:

• Atlanta, GA
• Houston, TX
• Milwaukee, WI
• North Florida/South Georgia
• Salisbury, NC
• Sioux Falls, SD

OAA would like to recognize the hard work and dedication of all who submitted proposals and bestow a hearty  congratulations to all selected for award!