The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has released another round of funding to continue to expand graduate medical education (GME) across Wisconsin with a special focus on developing residency positions in rural and other underserved areas of the state. Eligible grantees include hospitals and groups of hospitals, health systems and academic institutions.
Since its inception in 2013, this GME grant program has obligated $11 million in state and federal funds to Wisconsin hospitals and health systems to help fund the creation of new residency programs, expansion of existing programs and sustainability of new and expanded programs.
In the current state budget, WHA worked with members of the Legislature to commit even more funding to the program and make it ongoing—providing additional certainty that funding will exist today and into the future for expanded GME programs. For more information about the available grant opportunities, note the information below.
A new Request for Applications (RFA) was released June 13 for adding new positions to existing accredited GME programs in five specialties: family medicine, general internal medicine, general surgery, pediatrics and psychiatry. These applications are due August 3 at 2:00 p.m.
- Grant awards cover the length of the residency, e.g., three years for family medicine, and are limited to $75,000 per position.
- The maximum amount per year per GME program is $225,000.
- The grant effective date will be July 1, 2018.
- Current policy allows existing successful grantees to apply for a second round of funding.
A Request for Applications to develop new GME programs in one of the five targeted specialties is scheduled to be released in mid-August.
- Grant awards are limited to a maximum of $750,000 over three years and may be used for, but are not limited to: consultants, program staff, planning, accreditation fees, faculty and curriculum development and resident recruitment.
- Grant funds cannot be used for capital improvements, equipment, software or research.
- A 50 percent match, in cash or in kind, is required.
- Applications will be due six weeks after release or the RFA with a grant effective date of January 1, 2018.
New for this round of funding (2017) is the use of funds to expand or develop fellowship programs in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry.
For additional information about the DHS GME Grant Program, contact Linda McCart, Wisconsin Department of Health Services GME initiative director, at
linda.mccart@wi.gov or Kyle O’Brien, WHA senior vice president, government relations, at
kobrien@wha.org.