HAGERSTOWN – Maryland Physicians Care provided a $624,000 grant to fund scholarships at the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine.
“MPC, a local Medicaid-managed care organization owned by Meritus Health, Ascension Saint Agnes, Holy Cross Health and UPMC Western Maryland, gave $624,000 to the Washington County Chamber of Commerce to establish scholarships for six students,” said MPC President and CEO Jason Rottman.
Each student will receive $26,000 per year for four years, totaling $104,000 each.
“MPC recognizes the growing shortage of healthcare professionals in our state and actively seeks ways to alleviate that issue,” Rottman said. “This scholarship grant will financially assist in the education of six new doctors, directly adding resources to our healthcare community. We hope these new physicians will not only stay in Maryland but will choose to stay in the underserved rural community where they were trained.”
MPC works to improve health outcomes by addressing the factors that impact its members’ well-being and providers’ effectiveness. Addressing rising physician shortages (predicted to reach 86,000 fewer physicians than needed nationally by 2036) is just one of the goals. MPC has also provided funding to many organizations throughout Maryland to addresses non-medical factors such as food insecurity, transportation and housing. This includes partnering to provide non-emergent medical transportation for patients in need, supplying food for needy families and, in several locations, delivering that food to those with limited transportation.
To learn more about MSOM, readers may visit msom.org. To learn more about MPC, they also may visit marylandphysicianscare.com.
