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Appalachian Regional Commission J-1 Visa Waiver Program for Healthcare Professionals is a program from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) that supports access to quality healthcare in Appalachia by recommending waivers of the foreign residence requirement for J-1 visa physicians willing to practice in underserved communities.
In exchange, physicians must provide direct patient care for at least 40 hours per week at a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) within the ARC service area for a minimum of three years. Requests must be sponsored by an Appalachian state governor or state public health official. The program applies only when American physicians cannot fill the role, and sponsoring entities must demonstrate a good-faith 6-month recruitment effort.
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J-1 Visa Waivers - Appalachian Regional Commission The J-1 Visa Waiver Program is rooted in ARC’s continuing commitment to help all residents of Appalachia access quality, affordable healthcare. This commitment to the healthcare needs of Appalachians derives from the original Congressional mandate to ARC when it was established by the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 .
Healthcare assistance—along with education, transportation, the environment and economic development—had a prominent place in ARC’s coordinated program to uplift a region that lagged behind the rest of the nation in economic growth and prosperity. Access to healthcare in Appalachia continues to be a concern. Physician recruitment can be a challenge in Appalachia, particularly in the region’s rural communities.
While ARC encourages Appalachian states to develop demonstration projects that address practice opportunities or establish incentive programs, many of those projects have a limited scope. ARC J-1 Visa Waiver Program complements state projects by providing immediate support to dozens of Appalachian communities in need of medical services.
ARC’s Federal Co-Chair—at the request of a governor, ARC state alternate or a high-ranking state public health official—will recommend a waiver of the foreign residence requirement for a physician holding a J-1 Visa under certain circumstances.
In exchange for the waiver recommendation, the foreign physician must agree to provide direct patient care for at least forty (40) hours a week at a site in a health professional shortage area (HPSA), as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), within the legislatively defined ARC service area for a minimum of three years or longer, as a specific ARC state policy may require.
Essential Program Requirements The ARC J-1 Visa Waiver Program is a need-based program, which is intended to benefit the people of Appalachia and exists to fill a gap that is not being filled by American physicians. Demonstration of need. ARC makes J-1 placements only in an Appalachian community designated by HRSA as a HPSA.
Before recommending a waiver for a J-1 physician, ARC requires a thorough demonstration that the doctor is needed in the community in which he or she will practice. Effort to recruit American physicians. ARC J-1 placements are an alternative only when American physicians are not available to provide adequate medical care for a community.
Therefore, the entity sponsoring a J-1 physician must demonstrate that it has made a good faith effort to recruit an American doctor for the job opportunity in the same salary range without success during the six months immediately preceding the request for a waiver. Coordination with state health officials.
In keeping with our unique federal-state partnership, each request for J-1 placement must be sponsored by an ARC state and after the state’s thorough evaluation of the request a written recommendation is submitted to ARC from the governor, ARC state alternate of the sponsoring state or at the state’s option, or a high-ranking state public health official.
To begin the process with ARC, review the application materials listed below and contact the designated J-1 program contact in the state in which the physician has been offered employment to submit the application. For information regarding the ARC J-1 Visa Waiver Program, please contact Fiona O’Brien at fobrien@arc. gov .
J-1 Visa Waiver State Public Contacts This is the first step in requesting a waiver under the ARC J-1 Visa Program. Applicants must be sponsored by a state within the Appalachian Region.
J-1 Visa Waiver Program FAQs – pdf 84 KB J-1 Visa Application Checklist – pdf 130 KB ARC Federal Co-Chair J-1 Visa Waiver Policy – pdf 110 KB Sample Notice – Policies for Healthcare Services Charges – pdf 62 KB J-1 Visa Employer Letter Template – pdf 128 KB J-1 Visa Waiver Affidavit and Agreement – pdf 96 KB J-1 Visa Liquidated Damages Clause – pdf 87 KB J-1 Visa Placement Verification Form – pdf 490 KB Building Appalachia’s Workforce Ecosystem Classifying Economic Distress in Appalachian Counties Appalachian Diseases of Despair, 2024
Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: Foreign physicians on J-1 visas willing to commit to 3 years of service in rural Appalachian areas Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
Current published award information indicates See official notice Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
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The Fund for Women & Girls Grant Program is sponsored by The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC). The Fund for Women & Girls, an initiative of TFEC, makes grants to local nonprofit organizations in specific South Central PA counties. The grants support projects that advance the lives of women and girls by providing opportunities to address basic needs, develop economic self-sufficiency, and strengthen health and safety needs.
VGF grants will be used to develop and/or support community-based entities to recruit, manage, and support volunteers. CNCS seeks to fund effective approaches that expand volunteering, strengthen the capacity of volunteer connector organizations to recruit and retain skill-based volunteers, and develop strategies to use volunteers effectively to solve problems. Specifically, the VGF grants will support efforts that expand the capacity of volunteer connector organizations to recruit, manage, support and retain individuals to serve in high quality volunteer assignments.Applicants that receive funding under this Notice may directly carry out the activities supported under the award, or may carry out the activities by making sub-grants to community-based entities, supporting volunteer generation at these entities.). Funding Opportunity Number: AC-05-25-21. Assistance Listing: 94.021. Funding Instrument: G. Category: O. Award Amount: $6.1M total program funding.