A SIUC-led consortium was recently awarded a planning grant of $300,000 to provide training and placement of students to fill certain health professions which are lacking, a University official says.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is a Princeton, N.J. based philanthropical organization which focuses in health and health care.

The consortium is a cooperative effort between Illinois and Indiana. SIU Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs John Haller said the consortium will provide training and placement of nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants and nurse-midwives in the areas of Illinois and Indiana which lack adequate health care services.

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Through the consortium, an attempt will be made to recruit students to the three health professions.

Haller said he is pleased with the funding of the consortium.

We have been delighted with the way this has turned out, he said. The state has been very supportive. We’re equally delighted we’ve been able to partner with the State of Indiana.

Haller said ultimatally the consortium will place students in their hometowns as mid-level health professionals.

Other universities involved in the consortium include Butler University, Indiana University at South Bend, Midwestern University, University of Southern Indiana, Indiana State University, Indiana University at Indianapolis, the University of Illinois at Chicago and SIU at Carbondale and Edwardsville.

SIU Chancellor Ted Sanders said in a faxed message that the eight university consortium will grow with time.

We anticipate that the number of partners will increase manyfold as the consortium becomes better known, he said.

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Sanders said the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has funded other institutions with grants.

The Foundation has funded 12 institutions with two-year planning grants such as ours, Sanders said.

In two years, the foundation will fund eight of the 12 institutions with further grants to assist recruitment efforts.

We have every intention of being one of those eight recipients, Sanders said.