Valued Voice

“Grow Your Own” grants continue to help the Wisconsin health care workforce grow faster, and Wisconsin hospitals now have an opportunity to use some of those grant dollars to help grow their own workforce.



The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has announced the opening of the application period for two grant programs designed to grow our health care workforce:
 

• Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) Training Grants
• Allied Health Professional (AHP) Education and Training Grants

Applications for both grants are due April 3, 2023, giving hospitals and health systems plenty of lead time to submit their applications.
 
The DHS training grants are modeled after the WHA-led matching-grant graduate medical education (GME) initiative that seeks to leverage Wisconsin-based clinical training opportunities to grow, recruit and retain Wisconsin health professionals for the Wisconsin health care workforce. The DHS GME, APC and allied health training grants have spurred a $53 million investment in training opportunities for physicians, advanced practice clinicians and allied health professionals. These public-private partnerships have resulted in 24 new APC opportunities, 22 new training opportunities for allied health professionals and 145 GME residency slots that would not exist without the grants. When the new residency pipeline is full, Wisconsin will have 49 additional physicians each year. You can see a list of the GME, APC and allied health grantees, and a map of Grow Your Own grant locations here.



APC grants are designed to expand clinical training opportunities for physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses in Wisconsin to increase access to health care in rural areas. The APC grant period is one year. The maximum amount per successful application is $50,000.
 
Allied health professional grants are intended to expand education and training opportunities for individuals in high-need, high-demand allied health occupations to help rural hospitals and clinics meet the need for qualified professionals. The maximum amount per successful application is $125,000 per year. The length of the grant will depend on the length of required training for the targeted occupation(s).
 
The time is now to access these state resources made available by WHA-backed legislation, effectively implemented by DHS and successfully utilized by hospitals and health systems across the state. 
 
WHA’s Senior Vice President Workforce and Clinical Practice Ann Zenk is available to answer questions and support your application process.