KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new federal grant will help Kansas City address issues that lead to poor residents of urban neighborhoods being stricken with illnesses at a higher rate than the general population.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $427,856 over four years to the University of Missouri-Kansas's Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Combined, the four schools graduate about 500 health professionals each year.
The grant money will be used to research whether a more diverse health care workforce and improved diversity training can reduce health care disparities.
One issue is that fewer health care professionals choose to work in the poorer urban core neighborhoods where disparities are common. A goal of the study will be to develop ways to get more graduates to work in those areas after graduation.
