Rural Residency Planning and Development Program - Eligible Entity/Facility Type: Rural Hospital Project Director (PD) Name & Contact Information: Alex Harsha Bangura, MD; 218-894-8033 (o); drharsha@lakewoodhealthsystem.com Residency Program Director Name & Contact Information: Alex Harsha Bangura, MD; 218-894-8033 (o); drharsha@lakewoodhealthsystem.com Program Pathway: Maternal Health and Obstetrics Pathway Residency Specialty Area: Family Medicine Residency Format: New RTP (New Program Accreditation) Sponsoring Institution Organization, location, and ACGME Sponsor Program Code: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, Sponsor code: 269501 Rural Target Area (s): Todd County, MN Funding Amount Requested: $749,998 Program Sustainability Option (refer to Section IV.2.ii. Program Sustainability): Options 3 and 4 Projected Total Number of Residents: 6 (2/year; 2-2-2 model) Expected ACGME Accreditation and Residency Matriculation Dates: ACGME accreditation date- April 2026; Residency Matriculation date- July 1, 2027 Funding Priority Points Requested: Maternal Health and Obstetrics Pathway List of Recent HRSA Awards received within the last 5 years: Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Confidence Program, Grant No. 6 G29RH42763-01-02. Start Date 07/01/2021 - End Date 6/30/2022 Brief overview of the project: The purpose of the StaplesRTP is to plan and develop a Family Medicine Rural Track Program (RTP) in Staples, Minnesota (MN), in the Maternal Health and Obstetrics Pathway, increasing the number of primary care physicians who train in a rural area thereby expanding primary care and maternal health and obstetrics workforce to improve healthcare in underserved rural areas. Project goals are to 1) plan and develop a new Family Medicine RTP at Lakewood Health System (LHS) in Staples, MN, in partnership with the North Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program (NMFMR) that can host at least two residents per year; and 2) ensure financial, curricular and structural viability for the RTP to maintain an ongoing successful program after the grant period ends. Major objectives are to 1) build on the educational experience at the University of MN's (UMN) Dept of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) and NMFMR to ensure a robust organizational and educational base for an ACGME accredited RTP at LHS, develop a curriculum for community-oriented Family Medicine RTP that enhances primary care including maternal health and obstetrics in rural areas and recruit residents for the StaplesRTP; 2) ensure funding for continued functioning of the RTP; 3) develop a graduate tracking plan for the StaplesRTP; and 4) collaborate with rural health education efforts currently underway in MN to develop other RTPs across the state. The project will be based in Staples, in rural Todd County, MN, and serve populations in the surrounding counties of Wadena, Morrison, Crow Wing and Cass. The partnership between academia (DFMCH) and two healthcare systems: LHS and North Memorial Medical Center (NMMC) will build on existing academic partnerships in creating a new Family Medicine RTP. LHS will house the rural site and NMMC houses NMFMR. The clinical sites include LHS, two outpatient rehab facilities, and one nursing home in the area. The project will employ rigorous and transformative educational methods to achieve the objectives, drawing on the resources of UMN, employing telehealth and other innovative tools in teaching and care delivery. The RTP will recruit medical students from across the US interested in rural care. Efforts will build on the current educational experience of the Rural Physician Associates Program at LHS. The primary measure of success, over the long term, will be graduates of the RTP functioning as rural primary care physicians practicing maternal health and obstetrics in MN and across the US. At the project’s conclusion, StaplesRTP will be on a sound financial, educational, and structural platform with its first residents in place, and continue training rural primary care physicians.
