The Yale School of Public Health will house a new center to train the public health workforce in Connecticut and Rhode Island, thanks to a new $2.6 million federal grant.
The center will focus on helping workers learn the best ways to address health disparities, including HIV/AIDS, in underserved communities. The grant also will create a satellite center at the Brown University Public Health Program in Providence, RI.
The two-state program will significantly augment existing public health workforce training and is expected to reach hundreds of practicing public health professionals in local and state government agencies and community organizations. Students and faculty from Yale, Southern Connecticut State University, the University of Connecticut, Brown and other academic institutions will be engaged in a broad-based effort to improve community health outcomes. Training will include teaching technological skills, environmental health and public health leadership.
“Building a strong public health workforce is a vital national priority,” said Paul D. Cleary, dean of Yale School of Public Health. “We are extremely confident that the new training center will substantially improve the public health workforces in Connecticut and Rhode Island.”
The four-year grant was awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to receiving the grant, Yale participated in the public health training center that serves New England, based at Boston University, while collaborating with the University of Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State University and numerous other academic and practice-based partners to offer a basic public health training program.