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Ten students are getting a person look astatine however attraction works beyond the session – acknowledgment to an $80,000 acquisition from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Health Choice.
The acquisition supports the Bridge Fellowship Program offered done the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health astatine the University of Arizona Health Sciences. This programme helps students larn however nationalist care, similar Medicaid, is acceptable up, paid for, and provided.
“This fellowship helps students spot the afloat representation of care, not conscionable however to dainty patients, but however attraction reaches them,” said Dr. Heather Carter, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Health Choice CEO. “By learning however programs similar Medicaid signifier access, they’re amended prepared to enactment the radical who trust connected it each day.”
Medicaid plays a large relation successful attraction crossed Arizona. It covers much than one-third of the radical successful the state. Through this program, students larn however these systems enactment down the scenes, which helps them amended usher their patients who beryllium connected this care.
Each pupil received $6,000 to enactment this training. They besides took portion successful the 2025 Rural Health Conference successful Flagstaff, wherever they met with attraction teams, argumentation leaders, and nationalist wellness experts.
Medical pupil Vivian Mendoza-Leon is among this year’s recipients. As a first-generation student, Mendoza-Leon said this fellowship provides her with support, allowing her to afloat absorption connected learning and growth.
“The Bridge Fellowship Program is particularly meaningful to maine arsenic a aboriginal doc with an involvement successful wellness policy, peculiarly Medicaid,” Mendoza-Leon said. “As idiosyncratic who has personally benefited from Medicaid, I’ve seen some the important relation it plays successful providing entree to attraction and the challenges patients tin look navigating the system. These experiences person fueled my passionateness for wellness equity and my committedness to advocating for underserved communities.”
The 10 recipients are students astatine the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix and the College of Nursing.
For aesculapian pupil Joanna Marie Hilao, this fellowship represents much than fiscal support. It allows her to amended recognize the strategy truthful she tin advocator for her patients and beryllium portion of the solution.
“The Bridge Fellowship is simply a pathway for maine to turn not lone arsenic a aesculapian student, but arsenic an idiosyncratic who understands and tin assistance amended the systems that service and signifier our patients’ lives,” Hilao said. “It affirms my committedness to advocating for marginalized communities and reminds maine that my lived experiences person a spot successful driving real, policy-informed change.”
This enactment is portion of AZ Blue successful Action, an effort by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona to amended wellness crossed the state. AZ Blue successful Action helps make lasting alteration successful areas with the top need. To larn more, visit AZ Blue successful Action.
The station AZ Blue Donates $80K to Support U of A Health Student Training appeared archetypal connected Greater Phoenix In Business Magazine.
