Description
The Workforce Development Initiative is a core component of Florida's Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), designed to strengthen, expand, and sustain the health care workforce serving Florida's rural communities. The initiative advances a two-pathway strategy: Pathway 1 focuses on building, expanding, and sustaining the clinical workforce pipeline through supervised training, while Pathway 2 focuses on building an early-stage, community-based training pipeline that prepares local students for entry into health care roles and direct care occupations. Key program components include creation or expansion of clinical rotation sites, funding for preceptorships, and recruitment and retention incentives.
• The initiative aims to address long-standing shortages of clinicians, allied health professionals, and direct care workers in rural communities.
• Pathway 1 supports supervised rural clinical training programs, preceptorships, and rural practice rotations.
• Pathway 2 supports curriculum development, Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways, and apprenticeships for entry-level and mid-tier health care and direct care occupations.
• The initiative has a total funding of $12,683,313 for Year 1, with $6,341,657 allocated to Pathway 1 and $6,341,656 to Pathway 2.
• Eligible applicants include health care providers, educational and workforce training institutions, and community-based organizations.
• Applications will be evaluated based on organizational capacity, program design, rural coverage, partnerships, workforce incentive and retention design, and data collection and sustainability.