Address: The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, 501 South Washington Ave, Suite 1000, Scranton, PA 18505 Project Director: Dr. Jumee Barooah Phone: 570.343.2383 ext. 1314 Email: Barooahj@thewrightcenter.org Web: The WrightCenter.org Funds Requested: $2,999,938 The mission of the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education (TWCGME) is to continuously improve education and patient care in a collaborative spirit to enhance outcomes, access, and affordability. The TWCGME is an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit ACGME-accredited sponsoring institution of several community-based primary care programs. Together with our affiliated Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, The Wright Center for Community Health (TWCCH), The Wright Center enterprise serves Northeast Pennsylvania in urban and HRSA-designated rural settings. The project will expand the reach of internal medicine residents to benefit those with limited English proficiency (LEP) and individuals with physical disabilities and/or intellectual and developmental disability (PD/IDD) to improve health outcomes for these populations. The absence of professional training on disability competency issues for health care practitioners is one of the most significant barriers that prevent people with disabilities from receiving appropriate and effective health care. Research has shown that language-discordant encounters result in worse health outcomes, reduced access to health information, and decreased satisfaction with care. Conversely, language-concordant care improves health outcomes for individuals with LEP. Through the development of curricula and training of medical residents, TWCGME will increase the number of primary care trainees, develop and implement a culturally competent didactic and clinical curriculum to educate primary care trainees and provide opportunities for clinical training in community-based settings. TWCGME’s strategically designed and co
mmunity-based residency prepares its graduates to lead primary care practices in the future and to attain subspecialty fellowships in any geographic location where the relationship between doctor and patient can be developed to ensure better health outcomes. This Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) project will employ the curricular innovation capacity and technology skills of TWCGME to ensure consistent and cost-effective delivery of a challenging and satisfying local training experience in both focus areas (Language Assistance for Individuals with Limited English Proficiency and Care for Individuals with Physical Disabilities and/or IDD). The proposed objectives, activities, and assessments have been designed to maintain fidelity with national goals of service to the underserved to yield an increased number of providers who are personally and professionally satisfied in their critical roles.