Scott Kuttenkuler was announced Monday as the first president of the Arkansas Rural Health Academy.
The academy, a training program to address health care positional vacancies for providers in rural areas, was founded in January by the Lake Village-based nonprofit Arkansas Rural Health Partnership. Barriers such as distance between facilities, cost and training availability are often exacerbated in the state’s less populated communities, the partnership said in a September news release, as many training programs have been terminated after failing to meet minimum class size requirements.
Kuttenkuler’s resume includes more than two decades in higher education and workforce development. He served as vice chancellor for the Saline County Career Technical Campus at Arkansas State University Three Rivers since last July — a promotion after 3 1/2 years as an assistant vice chancellor.
Prior to working at ASU Three Rivers, Kuttenkuler was the vice president for student affairs at Southeast Arkansas College for nearly five years and held multiple roles across a 13-year stretch at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, including dean of students. He also holds a master’s degree in communication from the University of Central Missouri and is working toward a doctorate in higher education administration at Arkansas State University.
The new academy president vowed to “listen to (providers’) needs” and “leverage available resources” to address the workforce shortages in a news release on Monday announcing his selection as the academy’s president.
“I am honored to lead the Arkansas Rural Health Academy,” said Kuttenkuler. “Together with our partners — hospitals, clinics, colleges, and employers — we will meet learners where they are, provide real-world training, and open pathways to sustainable careers in rural health.”
The partnership assists 19 hospitals, four medical education institutions and three health centers, according to its website.
The nonprofit has mobilized almost $80 million in grant funding since 2008, according to the release, acquiring more than 10% of that money from the Health Resources and Services Administration, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Delta Regional Authority. The partnership’s staff claims it has awarded $2.4 million in scholarships and sent mobile units to more than 5,000 health care trainees.
Through the academy, residents in rural areas can access live, in-person or distance learning courses at a state-approved training center or nearby partnership member site. The academy also partners with community colleges and other local educational institutions to supplement its own offerings, which currently include certification training for service providers and degree-path training programs.
Using existing partnership infrastructure and available apprenticeships, the academy has completed training sessions for 21 students over the past six months and placed them into health care organizations. The nonprofit plans to train and integrate an additional 300 students next year.
“We are thrilled to welcome Scott Kuttenkuler to lead the Academy at this critical moment,” partnership CEO Mellie Boagni said in the release. “His vision, leadership, and deep-rooted commitment to workforce development make him the ideal person to carry this work forward as we scale statewide.”