Sunday, May 18, 2025
5/18/2025
Rural Residency Planning and Development Program - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Regional Campuses 1 Applicant Name: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Eligibility Type: Medical School Project Director: Richard Turnage, MD, RHTurnage@uams.edu Rural Track Program Director: Donya Watson, MD, DWatson@uams.edu Residency Type: Rural Track Program with 4 residents each year (4-4-4) Program Pathway: Maternal Health and Obstetrics Pathway Residency Specialty: Family Medicine; Residency Format: New RTP Sponsoring Institution: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Regional Centers, Little Rock, AR (ACGME sponsor program code: 048018) Rural Target Area(s): Seven South Arkansas Counties (Union, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Columbia, Dallas, Ouachita); Funding Amount Requested: $749,978 Program Sustainability: Option 3 - Medicare FTE Resident Cap Expansion for RTPs Projected Number of Residents: 4 per year, 12 total Expected ACGME Accreditation Date: 2025; Residency Matriculation Date: July 1, 2026 Funding Priority Points Requested: Funding Priority 2 for Maternal Health (3 points) Recent HRSA Awards in last 5 years: Model AHEC U77HP03035; Medical Student Education T99HP52105; Primary Care Training & Enhancement D58HP37580; RRPD: P13RH39999 The purpose of the proposed project, El Dorado Rural Residency Planning & Development, is to improve and expand access to healthcare in rural areas by developing a new, sustainable Rural Track Program (RTP) in El Dorado, Arkansas that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and that will strengthen the physician workforce for rural underserved South Arkansas communities. The project will help address extreme health disparities, physician workforce shortages, and lack of maternal and obstetrics providers in seven medically underserved counties. This project is a collaborative effort of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Regional Campuses/Area Health Education Centers Program, the UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, and our community-based rural hospital partner, South Arkansas Regional Hospital (SARH) in El Dorado. This partnership will establish a Family Medicine RTP, with an enhanced Maternal Health and Obstetrics Pathway to serve seven rural counties in South Arkansas, with UAMS Regional Centers as the Sponsoring Institution. Our specific project goal is to establish this new RTP in El Dorado, Arkansas by the end of the project period that is ACGME accredited and will be sustainable long-term. We will accomplish our goal through the following objectives: 1) Establish a new rural residency program that is accredited by ACGME by the end of the period of performance, that will begin training its first resident class no later than academic year 2028; 2) Finalize a validated program sustainability plan that includes ongoing funding stream(s) to sustain long-term resident training once the program is established; and 3) Develop a graduate tracking plan and publicly report on residents’ career outcomes after graduation for at least five years. Expected primary outcomes include successful accreditation of the RTP in rural Union County (El Dorado) Arkansas in 2025, and enrolling its first cohort of residents in July 2026. Successful recruitment/retention of four residents per year for a 4-4-4 program, supporting 12 residents annually upon full implementation, with long-term financial sustainability. Our innovative RTP program will emphasize experiences unique to rural practice, including providing high-quality Family Medicine with limited resources, using inter-professional and culturally appropriate team-based care, and specialized training in full-service obstetrics, maternal health, digital health, and substance & opioid use disorder.
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).