2nd Annual RTT-TAP Conclave Assembles in Omaha
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, RTT program directors, rural residency site directors, individuals involved in developing RTTs and current NIPDD-R fellows, convened at University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha for the second annual Rural Training Track (RTT) Conclave. The Rural Training Track (RTT) Technical Assistance Program is a three-year national demonstration program, which began in September 2010. NRHA is currently a lead partner in the cooperative agreement that is supported by funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Office of Rural Health Policy. A consortium that taps the expertise of individuals and programs distributed across the nation, the Rural Training Track (RTT) Technical Assistance Program is an effort to sustain the RTT residency programs as a national strategy in training physicians for rural practice. Approximately 40 individuals participated in the three-day meeting, representing very different rural residency networks from all over the country. 14 of the existing RTTs from across the country were represented alongside 5 developing programs. Nebraska’s network of 5 RTT programs and State Office of Rural Health hosted the event and shared what those programs have done to ensure their success. Tom Morris MPA, HRSA’s associate administrator for rural health policy, and Dan Mareck MD, Chief Medical Officer from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy also participated in the meeting. Robert Phillips MD, MSPH Director of the Robert Graham Center, provided a research update on rural health workforce issues. During the successful meeting, lessons and models were shared to encourage the development of a nationwide network of rural health residency training programs and develop a sustainability plan for further cooperation. A full summary of the meeting is available here. For more information on the RTT-TAP program, click here.