Montana receiving health care training funds

Montana’s U.S. senators announced Monday that Montana universities are receiving nearly $1 million in federal funding for health care workforce training.

Releases from the offices of Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., said University of Montana in Missoula will receive $438,278 and Montana State University in Bozeman will receive $344,880.

The release from Tester’s office said UM’s funding will be for a program that trains medical residents in rural and underserved areas, and MSU’s will be for scholarships to increase diversity in the health care workforce.

The funds are coming through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration,

“The COVID-19 health crisis has shone a spotlight on the critical need for good doctors and nurses here in Montana” Tester said in his release. “This funding will help us get more quality health care providers into our rural and underserved areas, and help make the health care workforce looks more like the folks they care for. I am going to keep fighting to make sure Montana communities have the resources they need to stay healthy and secure for the duration of this crisis and beyond.”

“I’m glad to have helped secure this funding which is critical to ensuring our rural and underserved communities are taken care of,” Daines said in his release. “This funding will help improve the quality, distribution, and diversity of health professionals working across Montana.”