Teaching Health Center (THC) Graduate Medical Education (GME) Payment Program - United Healthcare Centers of the San Joaquin Valley (UHC), a federally qualified health center and community based nonprofit organization, has submitted for accreditation through the ACGME for 15 residents (5-5-5). UHC’s Internal Medicine Residency Program is a new program that will serve medically underserved/uninsured populations. The inaugural class will begin July 2025. UHC will provide oversight as the Sponsoring Institution. UHC is seeking funding under HRSA-25-077 for 5 residents for AY 2025-2026 (5-0-0). Establishing a strong Graduate Medical Education (GME) program began with a vision to improve the lack of medical services, and lack of accessible healthcare in the community. Today, UHC operates 34 medical facilities in federally designated MUAs/Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas. UHC serves communities in Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern counties comprised of largely marginalized, underserved, and low-income families. UHC staff provides culturally and linguistically appropriate services to its patients, 80% of whom are Hispanic, 41% are best served in a language other than English, 75% are at or below 200% federal poverty level, and 56% are migrant or seasonal farmworkers (2023 HRSA Unified Data System Report). UHC has focused on farmworkers' systemic inequality in care due to long work hours, hard manual labor, poor work conditions, language, education, and transportation barriers. The residency's primary site is located at Parlier Health Center. Inpatient rotations will be conducted at Community Regional Medical Center (CRMC), which currently has a GME program of six residencies and one fellowship. CRMC currently retains over one-third of its residents in the Central Valley. The program will also utilize the Veterans Administration clinics for clinical experiences. The mission of the Internal Medicine Residency program is to educate and train residents to treat patients both during and after residency in a professional and compassionate manner, care for patients of different socioeconomic backgrounds, and ultimately care for these patients in a primary care setting. A key to achieving this mission is to provide residents with a patient base indicative of the community while providing significant exposure to the primary care setting. UHC is requesting a funding priority for Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and Medically Underserved Area (MUA). CRMC is located in a HPSA (score=17), and both CRMC and Parlier Health Center are located in an MUA. By focusing recruitment efforts on candidates from the area or similar underserved areas and building strong bonds between the residents and the community, UHC hopes to retain 30%-40% of residents in the Central Valley or other underserved area in California. There are currently 16 medical schools in California. As medical schools continue to grow, there is a significant need to increase residency opportunities, particularly in the Central Valley. By recruiting local candidates, we increase the likelihood of those residents practicing in our area after completing training. By increasing the number of physicians in the area, we can positively impact access to healthcare. The average number of days to see a PCP nationally is 20.6 days, while in California it is 26 days. The goal is to impact the time to access care with the residents' presence. Organization website: www.unitedhealthcenters.org
