Jessica L. O'Hara
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced Thursday, June 17, 2010, a funding opportunity for HRSA’s Primary Care Residency Expansion (PCRE) initiative. The five-year program aims to increase the number of residents training in a primary care specialty. The application deadline is July 19, 2010.
PCRE’s purpose is to increase the number of primary care physicians through expanding enrollment in accredited primary care residency programs, which include family medicine, general internal medicine, and general pediatric medicine. The PCRE grant program does not apply to medicine-pediatrics residency programs.
PCRE will provide $168 million in funding for fiscal year 2010 through 2014, with all funding to be provided in FY 2010 at the time of the award. However, some limitations will apply. HRSA anticipates funding approximately 105 primary care residency programs through PCRE. Per the funding opportunity announcement, the award amount per recipient will depend on the applicants’ proposed number of residents to support but may not exceed $80,000 per resident. Eligible applicants include public or non-profit private hospitals, schools of medicine or osteopathic medicine, or a public or private non-profit entity that the Secretary of Health and Human Services deems eligible to receive funding. Applicants may request grant support for only one residency program per application.
A technical assistance call will take place Friday, June 25, 2010, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT to help applicants understand, prepare, and submit a grant application. To access the technical assistance call, please dial (800) 269-1850 and use the passcode 2926085. The call will be recorded and will be available until 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 19 by calling (800) 294-6358.
Additional information about PCRE is available in the full funding announcement.