In 2018, the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) funded 10 regional public health training centers.
The Region 6 South Central Public Health Training Center (R6SCPHTC) is one of these 10 public health training centers that is housed at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Under Tulane's leadership, the R6SCPHTC partners with several organizations in Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The mission of the R6SCPHTC is to strengthen the technical, managerial, and leadership competence of the current public health workforce and to advance the knowledge and skills of the future public health workforce. The R6SCPHTC current objectives include conducting a health personnel needs assessment across the region; identifying specific local training topics; and facilitating student field placements and faculty/student collaborative projects. Center priorities include mental health, opioids, childhood obesity, and social determinants of health.
Under the umbrella of the R6SCPHTC, the collaborating Community Based Training (CBT) partners in Oklahoma include the Oklahoma Public Health Training Center (OPHTC), Southern Plains Tribal Health Board (SPTHB), and Oklahoma Public Health Association (OPHA).
In collaboration with our R6 and Oklahoma partners, the OPHTC works to fulfill the 2018 Scope of Work:
- Facilitate and participate in health personnel needs assessment in Oklahoma in alignment with R6SCPHTC
- Contribute to identifying training topics that address workforce development needs
- Facilitate/host students in field placements
- Facilitate/host faculty/student collaborative projects
- Promote the work and training offerings of the R6SCPHTC among public health and primary care personnel
- Attend annual regional R6SCPHTC meeting
- Serve on the R6SCPHTC Advisory Board and attend monthly conference calls