By Tim Mastro

WILMINGTON — ChristianaCare was awarded a $2.4 million grant last month to expand Delaware’s health care workforce and improve access to care throughout the state.

Awarded through the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and administered through the Delaware Academy of Medicine/Delaware Public Health Association, the grant will help ChristianaCare’s Institute for Learning, Leadership and Development expand medical education in Delaware and strengthen the state’s multidisciplinary health care workforce.

As an academic health system with more than 300 residents and fellows — and as the Delaware campus for the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine — ChristianaCare already has a robust education infrastructure that supports Delaware’s health care personnel and attracts and retains professionals from across the country.

This new funding will help enhance those efforts, including in Kent and Sussex counties and in underserved areas in Wilmington, where there is a need for primary care and behavioral health providers, medical assistants and other important specialists.

“To provide care that is truly of the highest quality, we need doctors in Delaware who have the confidence and specialized training to see patients with a wide variety of issues,” said Dr. Tabassum Salam, chief learning officer for ChristianaCare. “In addition to doctors, we need more advanced practice clinicians, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Just as important, we want to foster the development of all members of health care teams, including medical assistants and aides.”

Initially, the grant will fund training slots for psychiatrists, psychologists and advance practice clinicians who specialize in primary care. The money also will boost training for medical assistants, to increase the number of those professionals statewide.

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted shortages and vulnerabilities,” said Tim Gibbs, executive director of the Delaware Academy of Medicine/Delaware Public Health Association. “Fortunately, we now have the opportunity to leverage these funds to address opportunities and build sustainable programs to eliminate those problems. ChristianaCare is uniquely positioned and qualified to undertake this work, as we consider the rapid expansion of existing programs, the existing teaching workforce to support growth and, after every dollar of our grant is invested, the financial capacity to sustain programming long into the future.

“In addition, the willingness of ChristianaCare to collaborate with partner institutions in Kent and Sussex counties on behalf of the well-being of every Delawarean is a value we hold high.”

The funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which President Joe Biden signed into law to speed up the nation’s recovery from the economic and health effects of the pandemic. The award directly addresses health care access as a social determinant of health, connecting people to care, building trust within communities and facilitating communication between patients and providers.

“Through ChristianaCare’s leadership in clinical care and population health, and through partnerships such as with the Delaware Health Sciences Alliance, we are well positioned to maximize, through this grant, workforce development in the First State,” said Dr. Omar Khan, enterprise chief scientific officer at ChristianaCare. “We were pleased and honored to receive these critical resources to thoughtfully develop the best programs to serve our communities.”