Who we are and what we do
The Oklahoma Public Health Training Center (OPHTC) is located within the Department of Health Promotion Sciences at the Hudson College of Public Health, Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. In fulfillment of its mission - Strengthening Oklahoma's Public Health Workforce - the OPHTC engages in several projects and topics focused on:
- Region 6 South Central Public Health Training Center (R6SCPHTC)
- OPHTC Community Health Worker Program
Region 6 South Central Public Health Training Center (R6SCPHTC)
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 CBT partners, the OPHTC works to fulfill the following Scope of Work:
- Facilitate and participate in the needs assessment [in Oklahoma in alignment with R6SCPHTC]
- Contribute to identifying training topics that will address workforce development needs in the CBT local area
- Arrange and host students in field placements
- Arrange and host student/faculty collaborative projects
- Promote the work and training offerings of the regional PHTC among public health and primary care personnel
- Serve on the R6SCPHTC Advisory Board and attend monthly conference calls
- Help build capacity among the public health workforce
- Collaborate with Tulane as a member of the regional team and provide information needed for reports and deliverables in a timely manner
- Participate in the R6SCPHTC Leadership Institute
OPHTC Community Health Worker Program
The OPHTC is committed to supporting the emerging workforce of community health workers (CHWs) in Oklahoma. In doing so, we are closely collaborating with several partners, including the OK CHW Coalition and the OPHA CHW Section. In direct support of this public health workforce, among other activities, we are developing and implementing training materials for CHWs.