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Welcome to the website of the Montana Office of Rural Health and the Montana Area Health Education Center!
The Montana Office of Rural Health (MORH) is administered through the Division of Health Sciences and the Montana Area Health Education Center is administered through the College of Nursing in affiliation with the Division of Health Sciences. The offices are co-located at Montana State University in Bozeman.
Our Mission
The mission of the Montana Office of Rural Health is:
To serve Montana communities through
- Collecting and disseminating information within the state,
- Improving recruitment and retention of health professionals into rural areas,
- Providing technical assistance to attract more federal, state, and foundation funding for rural health, and
- Coordinating rural health interests and activities across the state.
The mission of the Montana Area Health Education Center is:
To improve the supply and distribution of health care professionals, with an emphasis on primary care, through community/academic educational partnership, to increase access to quality health care.
What's New?
Make Health Happen: Promoting Wellness and Prevention in Rural Communities
Please join Senator Max Baucus, the Montana Office of Rural Health/Area Health Education Center, Flying Horse Communication, and the Montana Chamber Foundation for Make Health Happen: Promoting Wellness and Prevention in Rural Communities at Montana State University in Bozeman on August 9th and 10th.
Montana's local government officials, businessmen, health care providers, nonprofit organizations, public health workers, educators and others will come together to make important connections and figure out how best to propel our prevention and wellness efforts.
The Make Health Happen Summit will showcase innovative projects making our communities healthier. Through a series of presentation, workshops, and networking opportunities, it is our hope that we'll strengthen local efforts and find new ways to confront the challenges facing our communities. Most chronic health problems are linked to unhealthy lifestyles; together we can make communities healthier!
Space will be limited, so please register early. For more details about the conference or to register, visit www.makehealthhappenmontana.com. If you have questions, call 1-800-332-6106.
Pathways Into Health Annual Conference
This conference will bring together a diverse group of individuals to contribute to the development of appropriate and effective educational methodologies for primarily distance-based Alaskan Inuit and Native American health professions education. Three core concepts that will be illuminated to advance this process include:
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Cultural Attunment
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Interprofessional Education
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Distance Learning/Telehealth Technologies
The overall theme and focus will be on cultivating collaboration of partnerships.
Early bird registration ends July 10th, and the call for Abstracts is now open.
Visit http://pathwaysintohealthconference.org/ for more information. If you have questions contact Lesley Craig at Lesley.Craig@hhs.gov.
Master's in Health Science
The Division of Health Science and Health Profession Advising Office is proud to announce the addition of a one year Master's in Health Science program beginning Fall of 2009. For more information please contact:
Sheila Neilson-Priess at sheila.nielsenpreiss@montana.edu or 406-994-5177 or
Erica Wood at ewood@montana.edu or 406-994-1760.
Our Programs
AHEC
Montana State University, Bozeman, was recently awarded a grant to establish a statewide system of regional Area Health Education Centers, phased in over three years of the first phase of the AHEC grant.
Until this fall, Montana was a regional AHEC for the University of Washington WWAMI Program, along with other states in the WWAMI system. This year, the Montana AHEC at MSU was allowed to apply for funding through the College of Nursing, Elizabeth Nichols, Dean, in collaboration with the Montana WWAMI Program in the Division of Health Sciences, Linda Hyman, Vice Provost.
This new grant allows Montana to create its own AHEC system. The Program Office is located at Montana State University, directed by Kristin Juliar.
The new funding allows Montana to have four regional centers, with a program office at MSU in Bozeman. Each center has up to six years of start up funding, for a total of approximately $1.5 million per center over the six years of the grant. The purpose of the regional centers is to connect health professions education to rural and underserved communities. Programs developed at the centers will focus on creating a pipeline of health professionals; placing WWAMI students and other health professions students in rural rotations; and continuing education programs for health professionals. AHECs are designed to strengthen the healthcare workforce and improve health by forging connections between health professions education and communities.
Community Health Services Development Program (CHSD)
The CHSD program is a community-based model developed and implemented by the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSM) to improve access to health care and quality of health care in rural communities. Although traditionally focusing on health care provided by rural hospitals, the CHSD program has expanded its activities to assist with broader health care concerns and the impact of health care delivery systems on the local economy.
Healthcare Workforce
The Montana AHEC/ORH is working with state agencies, the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, the Montana Hospital Association, the Montana Primary Care Association and many other partners to form Healthcare Workforce Task Force, and implement recommendations of the Primary Care Liaison Group’s Report “Montana’s Health Care Workforce”, released in January 2006. (click here to read the report)
Montana Physicians
Access to health care and the delivery of quality health care to the citizens of Montana is dependent on an adequate supply of physicians. Since Montana is a rural and frontier state, with nearly two-thirds of the population living outside of the three urban counties (Metropolitan Statistical Areas - MSAs), primary care physicians are particularly important to rural health care delivery systems.
Montana Rural Health Initiative
The Montana Rural Health Initiative (RHI) is a collaborative effort to create a dynamic network linking prevention and community-based wellness programs throughout Montana. The Rural Health Initiative engages partners to share ideas and expertise and support communities in improving health. RHI is currently managed through the Montana Office of Rural Health/Area Health Education Center.
Rural Underserved Opportunity Program (RUOP)
The Montana AHEC arranges placements for WWAMI medical students in rural and underserved communities.
State Office of Rural Health
The Montana Office of Rural Health is funded through the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. MORH is a resource for information on rural health issues, data, research and funding opportunities. MORH participates in 3RNet, a multi-state rural health professions recruitment program; manages the Small Hospital Improvement Program; and provides technical assistance to rural communities on rural health projects.
TRUST
The TRUST Program was started at the WWAMI Program at Montana State University in May 2008. It is an initiative of Jay Erickson, M.D. (Director of Clinical Education in Montana and Assistant Dean at the University of Washington School of Medicine). The overall goal of the TRUST Program is to increase the number of Montana WWAMI students choosing primary care residencies and returning to practice in rural and underserved areas of the state.
Our Staff
Kristin Juliar, Director
Natalie Claiborne, Assitant Director
Linda Hyman, PhD, Vice Provost of the Division of Health Sciences and Director of the WWAMI Medical Education Program, and Assistant Dean at the University of Washington School of Medicine
Frank Newman, Associate Director and Professor Emeritus
Sharon Kott, Administrative Associate III
Shalina Mirza, Project Coordinator
Rachel Pearson, Administrative Assistant
Meet our Interns! More Coming Soon!
Juli Louttit
Madeline Mussman
Caitlin O'Brian
