{"id":74086,"date":"2020-01-23T11:33:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T15:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/english-5-million-gift-from-blue-cross-and-blue-shield-of-texas-to-fund-scholarships-for-uh-medical-students-create-pipeline-program\/"},"modified":"2020-01-23T12:36:02","modified_gmt":"2020-01-23T16:36:02","slug":"blue-cross-and-blue-shield-of-texas-dona-5-millones-para-financiar-becas-para-estudiantes-de-medicina-de-uh-y-crear-un-programa-de-orientacion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/blue-cross-and-blue-shield-of-texas-dona-5-millones-para-financiar-becas-para-estudiantes-de-medicina-de-uh-y-crear-un-programa-de-orientacion\/","title":{"rendered":"$5 Million Gift from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas to Fund Scholarships for UH Medical Students; Create Pipeline Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><![CDATA[\n\/* Style Definitions *\/\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n]]><\/style>\n<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">HOUSTON<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">Jan. 23, 2020<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212;\u00a0The <span class=\"xn-org\">University of Houston<\/span> College of Medicine has received a <span class=\"xn-money\">$5 million<\/span> gift from <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2700970-1&amp;h=2168129676&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bcbstx.com%2F&amp;a=Blue+Cross+and+Blue+Shield+of+Texas\" rel=\"nofollow\">Blue Cross and Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span><\/a> (BCBSTX). The gift will provide <span class=\"xn-money\">$3.5 million<\/span> for scholarships to at least 35 medical students and <span class=\"xn-money\">$1.5 million<\/span> to create a pipeline program to attract and retain students from diverse backgrounds who have an interest in practicing primary care medicine. <\/p>\n<div id=\"prni_dvprnejpgfaacleft\" style=\"WIDTH: 100%; TEXT-ALIGN: left\" dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"prnejpgfaacleft\" title=\"Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas logo.\" style=\"HEIGHT: 65px; WIDTH: 400px\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas logo.\" align=\"middle\" imagelabel=\"General\" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/248862\/blue_cross_and_blue_shield_of_texas_logo.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<p>The new medical school aims for at least half of each graduating class to practice primary care to address the significant statewide shortage of physicians in underserved urban and rural communities where health disparities take their heaviest toll. <span class=\"xn-location\">Houston<\/span> has grown by more than 4 million people since its most recent medical school was founded in 1972, and <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span> ranks 47th in primary care physician-to-population ratio.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The gift to the UH College of Medicine holds true to our focus on lowering health care costs through long-term, sustainable community investments. This investment is about the future of health care. Primary care physicians will be the cornerstones of that future,&#8221; said Dr. <span class=\"xn-person\">Dan McCoy<\/span>, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span>. &#8220;Developing and training primary care physicians is a crucial step towards building a system of care that is patient-centric and less complicated, while also improving quality and lowering cost. We believe this investment on the front end will yield great results for health care on the back end.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><b>Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Scholarships &#8211; <span class=\"xn-money\">$3.5 million<\/span><br \/><\/b>BCBSTX scholarships will provide <span class=\"xn-money\">$100,000<\/span> four-year scholarships for at least 35 medical students. The medical school will use a holistic admissions process that not only factors in Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores and grade point average, but also carefully considers predictors for those most likely to pursue primary care. Those predictors include:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>individuals who have family members in service-oriented careers <\/li>\n<li>those pursuing medicine as a second career <\/li>\n<li>candidates who are African American, Hispanic or from rural areas <\/li>\n<li>individuals with previous experience in primary care in another capacity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Blue Cross and Blue Shield College of Medicine Pipeline Program &#8211; <span class=\"xn-money\">$1.5 million<\/span><br \/><\/b>To meet its core mission, the UH College of Medicine will use pipeline programs to target ethnically and socioeconomically diverse K-12 and pre-medicine college students with an interest in primary care. Funding will be used to hire a director of outreach and diversity who will study successful pipeline programs and promote hiring a diverse faculty; and provide initial funding for a Ph.D. faculty member to develop an academic support system that includes peer mentoring\/tutoring, test-taking and study skills development, and faculty mentorship training for student academic success.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;With a focus on improving health, we will educate physicians who will be able to provide a path to a productive and more enjoyable life for the residents of our city and state,&#8221; said <span class=\"xn-person\">Renu Khator<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-org\">University of Houston<\/span> president. &#8220;Recruiting and retaining the most diverse and academically competitive students, regardless of financial resources, is a top priority for our medical school. I&#8217;m extremely thankful to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span> for sharing in our vision.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The College of Medicine will admit 30 students in its inaugural class, pending accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, reaching a total of 120 students per class and a total of 480 students at full enrollment. Tuition and fee rates for the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree at UH will begin at <span class=\"xn-money\">$23,755<\/span> per year. According to Dr. <span class=\"xn-person\">Stephen Spann<\/span>, founding dean of the medical school, one effective way to increase the number of graduates who practice primary care is to provide scholarships to students with a stated desire to become a primary care physician.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Student loan debt is a significant deterrent to pursuing primary care specialties. The result is more physicians in non-primary care specialties, and a marked decline in primary care doctors,&#8221; said Spann. &#8220;This is precisely why training primary care physicians is an urgent need. We&#8217;re grateful to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span> for enabling more students to pursue their medical education at the <span class=\"xn-org\">University of Houston<\/span>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>With the gift, BCBSTX is welcomed into the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2700970-1&amp;h=2989033789&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fgiveto.uh.edu%2Fget-involved%2Fdonor-societies%2Fuh-vanguard-society%2F&amp;a=UH+Vanguard+Society\" rel=\"nofollow\">UH Vanguard Society<\/a><b>, <\/b>the university&#8217;s corporate donor recognition circle. The society recognizes corporate benefactors who have given a total of <span class=\"xn-money\">$5 million<\/span> or more to the university.<\/p>\n<p>The gift is part of the\u00a0&#8220;Here, We Go&#8221; Campaign, the <span class=\"xn-org\">University of Houston&#8217;s<\/span> first major systemwide fundraising campaign in more than 25 years. The University has raised more than <span class=\"xn-money\">$1 billion<\/span> to address key priorities, including scholarships, faculty support and strengthening the university&#8217;s partnership with <span class=\"xn-location\">Houston<\/span>, and momentum continues as UH moves beyond its original billion dollar goal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Through this generous gift, our students will be able to fully immerse themselves in their studies and learn how to deliver value-based, compassionate care,&#8221; said <span class=\"xn-person\">Eloise Brice<\/span>, UH vice president for university advancement. &#8220;We thank Blue Cross and Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span> for providing this incredible opportunity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><b>About <span class=\"xn-org\">University of Houston<\/span><br \/><\/b>The <span class=\"xn-org\">University of Houston<\/span> is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter for excellence in undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive <span class=\"xn-location\">Houston<\/span> and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation&#8217;s fourth-largest city and one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse regions in the country, UH is a federally designated Hispanic- and Asian-American-Serving institution with enrollment of more than 46,000 students.<\/p>\n<p><b>About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span> <br \/><\/b>Blue Cross and Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span> (BCBSTX) \u2013 the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span> \u2013 is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with nearly 80,000 physicians and healthcare practitioners, and 500 hospitals to serve more than 5 million members in all 254 counties. BCBSTX is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) (which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-location\">Illinois<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-location\">Montana<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-location\">Oklahoma<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-location\">New Mexico<\/span>), the country&#8217;s largest customer- owned health insurer, and fourth largest health insurer overall. Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.<br \/><u><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2700970-1&amp;h=3503044787&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bcbstx.com%2F&amp;a=BCBSTX.com\" rel=\"nofollow\">BCBSTX.com<\/a><\/u>\u00a0| <u><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2700970-1&amp;h=1413155476&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fbcbstx&amp;a=Twitter.com%2FBCBSTX\" rel=\"nofollow\">Twitter.com\/BCBSTX<\/a><\/u>\u00a0| <u><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2700970-1&amp;h=1988313125&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbluecrossblueshieldoftexas&amp;a=Facebook.com%2FBlueCrossBlueShieldOfTexas\" rel=\"nofollow\">Facebook.com\/BlueCrossBlueShieldOfTexas<\/a><\/u>\u00a0| <u><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2700970-1&amp;h=3383397434&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fbcbstx&amp;a=YouTube.com%2FBCBSTX\" rel=\"nofollow\">YouTube.com\/BCBSTX<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<p><b>About the &#8220;Here, We Go&#8221; Campaign<br \/><\/b>The &#8220;Here, We Go&#8221; Campaign is the <span class=\"xn-org\">University of Houston&#8217;s<\/span> first major systemwide fundraising campaign in more than 25 years. Gifts made from 2012 to 2020 will contribute toward the University&#8217;s key priorities, including scholarships, faculty support and strengthening the University&#8217;s partnership with <span class=\"xn-location\">Houston<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Logo &#8211; <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2700970-1&amp;h=1776833697&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F248862%2Fblue_cross_and_blue_shield_of_texas_logo.jpg&amp;a=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F248862%2Fblue_cross_and_blue_shield_of_texas_logo.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/248862\/blue_cross_and_blue_shield_of_texas_logo.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>SOURCE  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">HOUSTON<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">Jan. 23, 2020<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212;\u00a0The <span class=\"xn-org\">University of Houston<\/span> College of Medicine has received a <span class=\"xn-money\">$5 million<\/span> gift from <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2700970-1&amp;h=2168129676&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bcbstx.com%2F&amp;a=Blue+Cross+and+Blue+Shield+of+Texas\" rel=\"nofollow\">Blue Cross and Blue Shield of <span class=\"xn-location\">Texas<\/span><\/a> (BCBSTX). The gift will provide &lt;span&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":74087,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salud"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74086\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}