The funds are administered through the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development’s (OSHPD) Song-Brown program.
Since the governor took office, he has awarded more than $33 million in Song-Brown funding which has supported nearly 7,400 training and education slots for family medicine residents, family nurse practitioners, physician assistants and registered nurses.
“There is a huge need in California for more health care practitioners, and the health care workforce training programs that are receiving funding have shown a commitment to helping meet this demand while also striving for higher quality, affordable and accessible health care across the state,” Schwarzenegger said.
The following 13 training programs received awards:
Sonoma State University, $253,737
California State University, Long Beach, $192,791
California State University, Fresno, $155,194
University of California, Davis, $107,000
Riverside Community College, $107,000
University of California, Los Angeles, $107,000
Keck School of Medicine – USC, $107,000
Charles R. Drew University, $107,000
University of California, San Francisco, $107,000
Stanford University, $107,000
San Joaquin Valley College, $62,446
University of California, Irvine, $43,416
Touro University, $43,416
The Song-Brown program was established by the Song-Brown Act of 1973 to increase the number of family practice physicians and physician assistants being trained in the state to provide needed medical services to Californians. OSHPD works in conjunction with the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission to award Song-Brown program funding.
Family nurse practitioners were added to the Song-Brown program in 1978, and in 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger expanded the program to include registered nurses. Song-Brown funds come from a fee on health facilities that go into a special California Health and Data Fund administered by OSHPD.
For more information about the Song-Brown program, please contact the program at (916) 653-0733, or visit www.oshpd.ca.gov/HWCDD/manpower/songbrown.htm.
{mos_sb_discuss:2}