July has been full of good news for Words for Good clients. First, Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine was selected to receive $2.5 million for its Interprofessional Geriatrics Education and Training Center through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program. With these funds, IU School of Medicine and a host of community partners will develop a health care workforce in Indiana that maximizes patient and family engagement and improves health outcomes for older adults by integrating geriatrics with primary care.

Second, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration awarded longtime client, Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA), a Rural Network Allied Health Training Program grant. IRHA will receive $600,000 over three years to establish the Indiana Rural Workforce Innovation Network (IRWIN), which will improve the recruitment, clinical training, certification, and retention of allied health professionals in rural Indiana. In partnership with Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana and the Rural Health Innovation Collaborative, IRWIN will focus on the professions of Medical Laboratory Technology and Sonography and associate degree students seeking such degrees.

If that wasn’t enough good news for one month, one of our hospital/health system partners was notified of an award from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Our lips are sealed as the powers-that-be approve press releases, so look for details in next month’s newsletter on how this project has the potential to change the face of hospice care for the future.

We are so proud to have collaborated with these clients in each of these applications and share such joy with their success in transforming health care and improving lives!