Meharry Medical College News March 4, 2021 Meharry Medical College Receives $20M CARES Act Grant to Establish Virtual Simulation and Telemedicine Program The new program will enhance medical curriculum and bolster the training and education needed to serve underserved communities who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 Meharry Medical College today announced that it has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish a virtual simulation and telemedicine training program for medical students. The $20 million grant is part of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and is provided through federal CARES Act funding. The new virtual simulation and telemedicine program will be designed to enhance the training and development of future health care providers to help underserved communities overcome the disproportionate impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. "This is an incredible day for Meharry Medical College and the communities we serve," said James E.K. Hildreth, Ph.D., M.D., President and CEO of Meharry Medical College. "African-American and Latino communities have been hardest hit by COVID-19 due to a number of reasons. The CARES Act grant will equip us with the needed resources to enhance our curriculum and will allow us to better care for the communities who have been the most affected. I am grateful and honored to witness the extraordinary impact it will have on our students, College and community." On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was passed by Congress to provide fast and direct economic aid to those negatively impacted by the pandemic. Of the $2.2 trillion allotted, approximately $14 billion was given to the Office of Post-Secondary Education as the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). Funds provided will help both institutions and federal government work together to overcome the impact of COVID-19. "I often see our students accomplish great things, sometimes with very little resources," said Regina Stokes Offodile M.D., Primary Investigator for the program and Interim Chair of the Department of Professional and Medical Education. "This grant will allow our students and staff to make an even greater impact on their communities. It is an honor to join Meharry in our efforts to teach the future physicians who ultimately make a positive impact on the underserved and the world." The CARES Act grant is the second largest funding awarded to Meharry since receiving $34 million from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Bloomberg Philanthropies in Sept. 2020 to help increase the number of Black doctors in the U.S. by significantly reducing debt burden. Sandra M. Phoenix HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children and those yet to come. Building Capacity for Humanities Special Collections at HBCUs - Become an ally and partner with us to protect, preserve and share a more authentic record of American history. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/humanities-2019.html for more information. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/ and click on the Donate Now button to invest in this project. Your support is appreciated. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/