Teaching Health Center (THC) Graduate Medical Education (GME) Payment Program - Name of the Program: NSU KPCOM/Evara Health Family Medicine Residency Program Type of application: Expansion Address: 14100 58th St N, Clearwater, FL 33760-9900 Project Director Name: Carlos R. Rodriguez Contact Phone Number: Phone: 727-824-8100 E-Mail Address: cbrrodriguez@hcnetwork.org Website Address: www.evarahealth.org Funding priority: Training sites in a HPSA and a Medically Underserved Community. Community Health Centers of Pinellas, Inc. DBA Evara Health (Evara), is a not-for-profit Federally Qualified Health Center which has been providing affordable, primary health care services to the residents of Pinellas County, Florida for over forty years. Evara operates 19 health centers, providing comprehensive healthcare to the most vulnerable communities throughout the County. In 2023, Evara served 60,832 patients with over 223,900 visits for medical, dental, enabling, and ancillary services. 93% of Evara patients are below 200% of the federal poverty level, 80% below 100% of the federal poverty level, 46% on Medicaid/CHIP, and 25% uninsured. Evara serves a large underserved and low-income patient population in Pinellas County, which has health care professional shortages. Evara holds a designated Primary Care HPSA score of 17. Pinellas County is considered a Medically Underserved Community as it is eligible to be served by Community Health Centers under Section 330 and 330(h) of the PHS Act. Additionally, Evara serves the communities of two Medically Underserved Areas (MUA) and five Low-Income Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs) within the County. Evara, in collaboration with Sponsoring Institution, the Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU KPCOM), launched the NSU KPCOM/Evara Health Family Medicine Residency Program in 2022. The Program achieved initial ACGME accreditation in October 2022 and started the first class of residents on July 1, 2023. At the present time Evara’s THCGME funded Teaching Health Center trains four (4) resident FTEs per academic year for a total of 12 (4-4-4) residents. Evara Health is requesting funding for two (2) additional resident FTEs per academic year to expand the program to a total of 18 (6-6-6) residents. The expanded class of residents will begin their PGY-1 training on July 1, 2025. Two (2) additional (6-4-4) resident FTE positions are requested to be funded under this program for AY 2025-2026, complementing currently received THCGME funding. The NSU KPCOM/Evara Health Family Medicine Residency provides an all-encompassing learning experience for resident physicians in an ambulatory health center. This experience produces physicians who are competent to provide high quality health care with special expertise in serving vulnerable and diverse underserved populations. This is the first Family Medicine residency program in Pinellas County that trains in the out-patient setting of a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH.) The specific aims of this project are to: expand a comprehensive Family Medicine Residency based in a HPSA that prepares residents for careers in medically underserved communities; trains Family Medicine residents to address the unique needs of underserved populations through the PCMH Model; and increase the number of physicians who are recruited and retained for practice in medically underserved community settings. The health centers of Evara serve for rotations in Family Medicine, Pediatrics, OB/Gyn, Behavioral Health, and Sports Medicine. For other required rotations, Evara and NSU KPCOM have acquired signed program affiliations for the following rotation sites: Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital St. Petersburg, Baycare Morton Plant Hospital, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Veterans Affairs Bay Pines VA, Gateway Radiology Consultants, HCA Florida Hear Institute, The Eye Institute of West Florida, Neurologic Care Center, All Florida Orthopedics Associates, ENT Associates, and E&S Family Medicine.
