Chatham University awarded grant to improve access to healthcare in medically underserved communities

Chatham’s Physician Assistant (MPAS) program was awarded a $275,000 grant to launch health training initiatives in medically underserved communities (MUCs) through a partnership with Armstrong County Memorial Hospital and two additional Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in the Pittsburgh region.

Through these partnerships, the program will address patient access to care and provider shortages in Allegheny and Armstrong counties by placing and training over 100 Physician Assistant (PA) students in clinical rotations in both rural and non-rural areas. The grant and partnership program build on research that suggests medical education in MUCs increases the number of graduates that will work in these settings, thus increasing accessibility to these services in MUCs over the short and long-term.  

The grant and program will span over a five-year period and will begin in July of 2022 and close in June of 2027.