The grant will fund three programs that aim to build diversity within the physician workforce, according to the report. The funding is based on research that shows that patient outcomes are improved when patients are cared for by physicians with shared backgrounds and languages.
“Across our state sometimes it’s not a level playing field,” Nakeia Chambers, director of access programs and multicultural affairs at Upstate Medical University, said in the report. “So it’s very difficult to attract and recruit individuals when you’re looking at standards that certain individuals aren’t meeting but you can see that they would be great physicians.”
