Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
Rural Residency Planning and Development Program - Abstract Header Content: Eligible Entity: Good Samaritan Rural Health Clinic Project Director: Fiona Axelsson, MD (faxelsson@goodsamhospital.com) Program Director: Josue Fong Balart, MD (balart@pvmg.us) Program Pathway: General Primary Care and High Need Specialty Pathway Residency Residency Specialty: Family Medicine Residency Format: Rural Residency Program (non-RTP) Sponsoring Institution: Good Samaritan Hospital, 901 Olive Drive, Bakersfield CA 933008 Rural Target Area: Kern and Tulare County, California Funding Amount Requested: $748,520 Program Sustainability Option: 3&4 Projected Total Numbers of Residents: 4 residents per year with full cohort of 12 residents Expected ACGME Accreditation and Residency Matriculation Dates: August 2025 and July 2026, respectively Funding Priority points: N/A List of Recent HRSA Awards received within the last 5 years: California Department of Health Care Services 22-20406 State Opioid Response III California Hub & Spoke System (7545-CA-SOR3-H&SS-GOODSAM(HHSCGS42)-01G) Abstract Body Content: This grant proposal outlines the establishment of a Rural Family Medicine Residency Program at Good Samaritan Rural Health Clinic in Wasco, Kern County, California. With a population of under 30,000, predominantly Latine, and facing socio-economic challenges, Wasco qualifies as a rural, high-needs geographic area. This initiative aims to address health disparities and enhance equity in access to family medicine physicians, strategically placing the program to serve rural populations. Collaborating with Sierra View Medical Center in Porterville, the program seeks to provide local, high-quality, comprehensive, and culturally responsive medical care. Graduates will be equipped to meet the unique healthcare needs of the rural population, improving access to quality primary care services and enhancing overall population health outcomes. Research indicates that graduates of rural Family Medicine Residency programs report feeling more competent with a broader scope of practice, emphasizing the significance of establishing such programs in underserved areas. The Good Samaritan network in Kern County, comprising a medical/surgical hospital, inpatient psychiatric unit, RHCs, primary care, and psychiatric groups, provides a robust training environment for residents. Leveraging this network enhances the educational experience and prepares future physicians for the challenges specific to rural healthcare. Considering that only 1 out of 74 Family Medicine Residency programs in California is rural, with no programs in the lower half of the state, the proposed Wasco program fills a significant gap. By providing training in a rural setting, residents will gain expertise in full-scope family medicine. The program aims to collaborate closely with community health organizations and entities within the Good Samaritan network to address the unique challenges faced by the rural population in Kern County. Our project aims to strategically plan, develop and implement a new rural family medicine residency program. The project has already appointed a program director who along with our interim designated institutional official will apply for ACGME accreditation by August 2025 in order to matriculate the first class of residents in July 2026. Our project will be able to achieve long-term sustainability by acquiring CMS funding as well as private funding. In order to demonstrate success in recruiting and retaining family physicians post-graduation in rural locations, we will administer annual surveys and compile them into a database that it accessible on the residency’s website.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).