Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama announced it is expanding its medical scholarship program to better address health disparities, particularly in rural Alabama.

“Blue Cross is committed to improving areas where there is currently a shortage of healthcare workers,” said Dr. Darrell Weaver, vice president of healthcare worker engagement for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama. “Often the reason people don't choose a career in healthcare is because of the cost of medical school and education. Scholarships will allow more people to choose the healthcare profession, which is good news for rural Alabama and other medically underserved areas.”

Weaver said while progress has been made thanks to the scholarships, BCBS Alabama remains focused on prioritizing primary care needs.

“It's gratifying to know that we have professionals thriving in some areas of Alabama that really need additional care right now, and we owe that success to these scholarships. We'll continue to focus on primary care, but we'll also put a special emphasis on maternal and behavioral health, and we'll address dental and nursing shortages.”

In addition to renewing and expanding existing scholarships, Blue Cross is using scholarships to combat several ongoing crises across the state, including:

Behavioral Health Crisis

According to the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), rates of mental illness have been rising for the past 20 years. The crisis disproportionately affects veterans, people who experienced childhood trauma, or grew up in abusive homes. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), approximately 41% of Alabama's population is in need of mental health or substance abuse services.

Nurse shortage

According to a study by the Alabama State Board of Nursing, approximately 39,000 nurses are expected to leave the profession over the next five years. Based on this information, the current shortage of 5,000 nurses is expected to swell to a staggering 14,000 by 2027.

Dental care shortage

Rural areas often struggle to attract dentists, and the number of dentists in rural Alabama is declining, with at least one county in the state having no dentists at all.

Maternal health disparities

According to the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), infant and maternal mortality are major issues in Alabama. Alabama's infant mortality rate is well above the national average. Blue Cross is now offering scholarships to certified midwives and family medicine obstetricians to support the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association's larger goal of reducing maternal health disparities by 50% within five years. These scholarships will support nurses pursuing a Registered Nurse (RN) degree.

For 2024, scholarships will be awarded to students at the following Alabama schools:

• Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (Dothan)
• Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Auburn University
• University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine
• University of South Alabama School of Medicine (Mobile)
• Jefferson State Community College
• Calhoun Community College
• West Alabama Community College
• Coastal Alabama Community College

Since the company first launched the program in 2016, 145 students have been awarded Blue Cross scholarships and 29 have graduated and are now active in rural Alabama. In addition to renewing the $11 million in scholarship funding it has provided since 2016, Blue Cross has committed to putting an additional $13 million into medical scholarships.

Austin Shipley is a staff writer for Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on X. @ShipleyAusten