The CAMC Foundation and UniCare Health Plan of West Virginia announced a gift to help support scholarships to expand the number of frontline workers across the state, increase access to care and improve health equity in West Virginia’s rural areas. UniCare’s donation of $200,000 to the CAMC Foundation will support CAMC in the expansion of its rural health residency programs and rural health education programs.
This funding will help build and maintain a robust network of highly skilled health care providers in some of West Virginia’s most vulnerable communities.
“Closing the gap in health disparities and supporting West Virginia’s health care workforce are priorities that UniCare has committed to address with innovative solutions that can reinvent health care across our state,” said Tadd Haynes, president, UniCare Health Plan of West Virginia.
More than 55% of West Virginia’s residents live in rural areas, ranking the state as the country’s third largest rural population. Rural areas often have more elderly who require extra care and residents who are in poorer health, have fewer health resources and face significant barriers to accessing care. Additionally, health care professionals are frequently drawn away from rural areas by urban opportunities. Staffing shortages, coupled with the state’s high prevalence of multiple chronic conditions, reinforce the need to expand the health care workforce across all areas of West Virginia.
“Health care worker shortages are at an all-time high, including in West Virginia, so it is critical that we build a solid pipeline of clinicians who are committed to equitably serving the state they call home and the people they understand best,” said David Ramsey, president and CEO, Vandalia Health.
