Rural Residency Planning and Development Program - Eligible entity/facility type: Private institution of higher education, School of Osteopathic Medicine Program pathways: General Primary Care and High Need Specialty pathway residency Residency medical specialties: Family Medicine Residency format. New rural track program, or RTP (new program accreditation) Sponsoring institution name, location, and ACGME sponsor program code (if applicable) Kansas Medical Center/Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine 8001900143 Rural target county or counties: Lyon County, Kansas Funding amount requested: $750,000 Program sustainability option: Option 1 – Rural hospital “new” residency program Projected total number of residents: 4 per cohort, 12 during period of performance Expected ACGME accreditation and first resident matriculation dates 1/30/26 and 7/1/2026 Funding priority points requested: Priority 1 List of recent HRSA awards received within the last 5 years: CE1HS52460 Description: Kansas Health Science University-Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM), in Wichita, Kansas, will establish a new residency program to train family medicine physicians, with a rural track in Lyon County, Kansas. This program is being implemented as a step toward addressing the state’s critical need for primary care physicians in rural communities, most of which are identified as primary care shortage areas by HRSA. KansasCOM will partner with Kansas Medical Center (Andover, Kansas), GraceMed Health Clinic (a federally qualified health care center [FQHC] located in Wichita), and rural partner Newman Regional Health (Emporia, Kansas) to establish the program. Project objectives are: (1) By July 1, 2026, develop a new rural, family medicine residency program that is accredited by ACGME. Once approved, KansasCOM will admit cohorts of four residents annually; (2) By July 2028, KansasCOM will finalize a validated sustainability plan that includes ongoing funding streams to sustain long-term resident training after the rural family medicine residency program is established; and (3) By July 2028, KansasCOM will develop a structured plan to track and publicly report on resident career outcomes after graduation for at least 5 years after the first graduating class to assess retention in rural communities. The project will serve rural primary care populations of all ages. In the rural service area, 32% of residents are underserved minorities, including 25% who are Hispanic. The region’s poverty rate exceeds the state and national averages. Family medicine residents will be recruited from medical schools, including those located in rural communities, with an effort to attract residents who reflect the local community and demonstrate a strong commitment to pursuing a career in rural primary care practice. In Lyon County, residents have high rates of chronic conditions, as well as persistent barriers to access stemming from provider shortages, especially in OB/GYN, family medicine, and cardiac care. The county has approximately 59 primary care providers per 100,000 residents, compared to a national average of 75. KansasCOM will develop, implement, and sustain an ACGME-accredited family medicine residency program that meets all specialty requirements for didactic and clinical training. Activities will include: hiring a program director; completing ACGME accreditation; establishing residency program curricula and clinical training components and partnerships; recruiting, selecting, and enrolling cohorts of residents; supporting clinical sites to prepare facilities, identify and onboard faculty, and establish systems for residency training administration; providing three-year residency training, supervision, and support; providing continuing medical education for faculty, preceptors, partners, and residents; establishing tracking systems to monitor career outcomes for graduates; and adopting plans for the long-term sustainability of the program.
