Teaching Health Center (THC) Graduate Medical Education (GME) Payment Program - Project Abstract - HRSA-25-091 THCGME Family Medicine Residency Program Project Title: FHCSD Family Medicine Residency Program Applicant Name: Family Health Centers of San Diego, Inc. Address: 823 Gateway Center Way, San Diego, CA 92102-4541 PD Name: Zachary Thomas, MD Contact Ph. No.: (619) 515-2400 Email Address: zacharyt@fhcsd.org Website Address: www.fhcsd.org/education/gme/residency-programs/family-medicine Overview: Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD), a not-for-profit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and community-based ambulatory patient center, is requesting support for two additional Family Medicine (FM) resident FTEs. FHCSD seeks to permanently expand its existing HRSA THCGME Family Medicine Residency Program (FMRP) based on its accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for up to 24 resident FTEs (8-8-8), effective January 24, 2024. The three-year program, which began training residents with HRSA THCGME funding in 2014 and operates alone, aims to recruit and train resident physicians from diverse backgrounds to provide high-quality, culturally sensitive primary care in ambulatory patient care settings for underserved communities. Since FHCSD’s FMRP inauguration, 48 new family medicine primary care physicians have completed their residency and entered the workforce, 26 (54%) of whom continue to practice in medically underserved settings and health professional shortage areas. Additional funding is requested to increase the total complement of FM Resident FTEs by 2 resident FTEs per year, for a full complement of 24 resident FTEs (8-8-8), based on our AY 2023-24 baseline of 18 (6-6-6). Needs to be addressed and population group(s): FHCSD serves more uninsured patients than any other community clinic in the nation (42,523 people). In 2023, it delivered culturally sensitive services to 159,114 unique patients from diverse, low-income backgrounds across San Diego County’s Central, East, South, and North regions, 89% of whom lived at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) and 39% who were best served in a language other than English. Patients experience persistent disparities, with poorer health outcomes than residents in other county regions. As a critical safety-net healthcare provider, FHCSD seeks to improve its capacity to care for patients experiencing persistent barriers to access (e.g., poverty, lack of transportation, housing costs, language, stigma), while also reducing the shortage of Family Medicine primary care physicians by training and retaining quality providers prepared for a career dedicated to low-income and medically underserved communities. Description of services and training location: Housed within one of the 10 largest FQHCs in the nation, FHCSD’s FMR program is based at the City Heights Family Health Center (CHFHC)—the Family Medicine Center (FMC)—whose patient population is impoverished and exceptionally diverse. In 2023, the CHFHC served 23,845 individuals who reported living below 200% of the FPG (94% of total caseload). Of those who reported race and ethnicity data, 44% were Hispanic, 9% were African American, 4% were multiracial, 4% were Asian/Pacific Islander, and 16% were non-Hispanic Caucasian; nearly a third (31%) were best served in a language other than English, with 18+ languages spoken by patients and staff. The 10 core FMR program sites consist of 4 participating hospitals (including one pediatric specialty hospital), a dermatology practice, and 5 FHCSD community clinics. FM residents will receive diverse learning experiences across disciplines, including internal medicine, emergency (adult and pediatric), neonatal and adult intensive care, outpatient surgery, HIV/HCV medicine, addiction medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, integrated clinical services for people experiencing homelessness, sports medicine, population health, and more.
