CLEVELAND — City of Cleveland residents who lack access to health care will benefit from a new Case Western Reserve University-led program designed to increase the number of public health practitioners serving the community.
Thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Case's School of Medicine will recruit 51 potential or advancing public-health practitioners (PHP) from Northeast Ohio for graduate public health courses over the next three years. Through a partnership with the Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH), the students will receive tailored training and field experiences aligned with the department's mission and supervision.
"An important aspect of this program is health equity and engaging underserved populations," explained Daniel Tisch, director of the School of Medicine's Master of Public Health program (MPHP) who will direct the new Public Health Training for Northeast Ohio Workforce (PHT-NOW) program.
"This grant presents an incredible opportunity for free public health training for those committed to improving the health of Greater Cleveland's residents,' Cleveland Public Health Director David Margolius added.
The School of Medicine's MPHP began coordinating support activities with CDPH in March 2020, prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and an urgent national and local shortage of skilled public health staff to provide the needed healthcare and disease prevention, especially for minority and low-income communities.
Applicants must be employed by an approved public health agency in Northeast Ohio, hold at least a bachelor's degree and apply to the CWRU MPH Program.