An editorial written by Jill Fuchs and Joann Hasse, president and chair of Health Care Public Policy, respectively, for the League of Women Voters of Delaware that encourages the Joint Financial Committee and General Assembly members to support funds for the Delaware Institute of Medical Education and Research program (DIMER).
Fuchs and Hasse highlight that while Delaware does not have a medical school, the DIMER program helps fund the reservation of spots for Delawareans at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson and Pennsylvania College of Osteopathic Medicine. The result has “far reaching effects” on the state’s medical infrastructure. This includes residencies at Delaware hospitals for students at these schools, which is critical because most providers tend to practice near where they have trained.
As such, the partnerships Delaware maintains with Sidney Kimmel and Pennsylvania College allow more opportunities for the state to bring in highly qualified providers now and in the future. In addition, DIMER funds have historically also helped repay student loans for those providers who are willing to work in underserved Delaware neighborhoods, providing another avenue to ensure well-trained healthcare providers reach citizens across the state.
The DIMER program has the full support of DCHI, which has created a Workforce and Education Committee to bridge the gap between the competencies of the current and emerging healthcare workforce and the requirements of a fully-transformed system of health care in Delaware. Partnering with state and regional educational institutions, the Workforce and Education Committee is establishing a comprehensive training strategy to ensure a sustainable pipeline for Delaware’s health care workforce.
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