OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi’s Center for Population Studies is collaborating with a network of diverse groups to address the state’s health care workforce shortage and improve the quality of life in five Mississippi Delta counties as part of the New Pathways program.
The New Pathways program in Bolivar, Coahoma, Quitman, Sunflower and Tallahatchie counties works with students to inspire them to address health care challenges in their communities. The program strives to grow the Delta’s health workforce from within the region. Many Mississippi counties have health care worker shortages and the program could help address those needs. It also could help with possible increased patient loads as coverage expands under the Affordable Care Act.
The program lays the foundation for growing the health care workforce and helps local students find careers, said John Green, Center for Population Studies director and an associate professor of sociology.
“Just telling a kid, ‘you could be a doctor one day’ is not enough, especially when that kid is in a low-performing school and may not have access to a lab to learn science,” Green said. “What we’re trying to do is to help piece together opportunity and aspirations as they relate to future career opportunities. That’s why in the program, we call it New Pathways. We want to create opportunities for people to improve their lives and improve the lives of their families and their communities.”
The 2013 evaluation of the program shows some steps have made a difference, including strengthening educational programs for health and related science disciplines. These changes are aimed at students from sixth grade through college. Community engagement is another part of the project.
Molly Phillips, a research associate with the CPS, said youths involved in the program have been organizing events to help educate their communities about health issues. On their own, middle school students developed and planned a community fruit picnic in Clarksdale, among other events. Some 400 members of the community showed up for the event.
“They came up with the idea, organized it, did the outreach to get people there and met with the mayor and the parks commissioner to secure the location,” Phillips said. “These are sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. It’s pretty cool that they are meeting with the mayor.”
The CPS is working on the project with several partners, including the Dreyfus Health Foundation of The Rogosin Institute, Tri-County Workforce Alliance and the Mississippi Office of Nursing Workforce. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is also providing financial support. The Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center Inc., which operates in several Delta counties, is joining the program as a partner, Green said. The CPS’s role is focused on development and evaluation, helping the partners to design and implement programs that are continuously improved.
The Dreyfus Health Foundation, which is based in New York and works in more than 30 countries, is also eying some of the methods the CPS is using in Mississippi, Green said. He’s been asked about the possibility of a similar program working in the Bronx.
“They’re trying to learn from the success here as they develop programs in New York,” he said. “People in Mississippi are so used to them bringing us the model. This is the alternative to that.”
By Michael Newsom