Monday, May 12, 2025
5/12/2025
Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Program - a. Eligible Entity Type Nonprofit, 501(c3) b. Project Director Contact Information Carla Belcher Community Health Care Systems, Inc. cbelcher@chcsga.org 478.552.7284 Ext. 1211 c. Residency Type (e.g., Family Medicine residency) Family Medicine Residency Program d. Funding preference statement (if applicable) Community Health Care Systems, Inc. requests funding preference for affiliation with an area health education center program. Included in Attachment 5 is a signed MOU indicating our existing partnership with the Georgia Statewide Area Health Education Center Network. e. Population Target Area(s) Our proposed program sites are located in Sandersville, Georgia, and primarily serve residents from Washington County, Georgia. These sites are designated as rural by HRSA and are located in a Health Professional Shortage Area and a Medically Underserved Area. f. Funding Amount Requested (total for the two-year project period) $500,000 g. Projected number of resident positions in the newly established program; We project to recruit 2 residents per year, for 6 total at full complement by PGY-3. h. Expected ACGME or CODA Accreditation and Residency Matriculation Dates The proposed program will apply for AGME accreditation in quarter 3 of budget year 1, in 2024. Accreditation is expected to be received by 2025. Expected resident matriculation will occur July 1, 2026. Abstract Body Content: Community Health Care Systems, Inc. (CHCS) is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) located in eastern Georgia. CHCS proposes to develop a Family Medicine Residency Program that will ultimately serve to recruit primary care physicians to the service area. This program will begin training residents by July 1, 2026. Residents will primarily train at the CHCS - Sandersville site and the CHCS – Tennille site, both located in Washington County, Georgia. CHCS will also partner with Washington County Regional Medical Center (WCRMC), a short-term acute care hospital, to provide inpatient rotations and ensure that all ACGME program requirements are met. CHCS has a robust system of community partnerships that will support this project. Community partners include East Georgia Healthcare Center and MedLink Georgia, two neighboring FQHCs that are committed to supporting building the capacity of the new Family Medicine Program. The proposed program also has the support of Mercer University School of Medicine, which will provide educational resources as needed. The CHCS service area has a higher need in comparison to the state or nation for primary, dental, and mental health care. The lack of local providers presents a significant barrier to care, particularly for low-income residents. The level of accessibility to primary care providers is crucial in removing barriers for our community members to receive high-quality primary care. The Family Medicine Residency Program will formally recruit two (2) residents in the fall of 2025 to matriculate the program’s inaugural class of residents on July 1, 2026. For subsequent years, CHCS will continue to fill from the ‘bottom-up’ by recruiting a whole class of PGY-1 residents. After three years, the program aims to be at full complement and meet our desired program size of six (6) residents. Our goal is to retain at least 50% of graduates from the program in order to increase primary care physician presence in our service area.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).