Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program - Name of Training Program: Sea Mar Family Medicine Residency Program Discipline of Residency Program: Family Medicine Eligible Entity Type: Community-based ambulatory care center that operates an accredited primary care residency program and is a federally-qualified health center. Year Program First Began Training Residents: 2017 Website: www.seamar.org For 44 years, Sea-Mar Community Health Centers has served the community by providing primary and ancillary health care services in western Washington. Sea Mar operates 33 medical, 26 dental, and 45 behavioral health clinics in 11 counties. In 2020, Sea Mar served 304,200 unduplicated patients throughout its service area, the majority of whom live below the federal poverty level and are uninsured, underinsured or receive Medicaid. Sea Mar specializes in bilingual and bicultural services to the Latino community. As the agency has grown, it has expanded its specialization to include other limited-English and low-income populations. Sea Mar also has special programs and federal funding to provide health care and related services to migrant and seasonal farm workers and homeless persons. In addition to limited English proficiency, Sea Mar tailors its services to serve patients who face many other barriers to health care, including poverty, lack of familiarity with available resources and eligibility requirements, lack of access to transportation and/or childcare, and a shortage of providers who accept uninsured or publicly insured patients. The Sea Mar Family Medicine Residency Program began in 2015, and is operated directly by Sea Mar Community Health Centers and is accredited by ACGME. The program is located in Snohomish County, an area that is a mix of rural and urban zones, with several sparsely populated communities where there are few services available. UDS Mapper data shows there are an estimated 87,539 patients not served by patients, and the ratio of population to full time primary care providers is 1,904:1. The residency program serves primarily low income and uninsured or Medicaid patients, and focuses on underserved communities including migrant and seasonal farmworkers and homeless populations. Sea Mar’s current residency program hosts three cohorts of 10 residents per year, for a total of 30 residents (10-10-10). With THCGME funding, Sea Mar will be able to expand the program by two residents per year, for a total of 36 residents (12-12-12). With this application, Sea Mar is requesting for 2 FTE positions to be funded under this program for AY2023-2024. Sea Mar’s residency program is in high demand, with over 800 candidates competing for the current 10 residency positions each year. Expansion will allow Sea Mar to further expand this program, and be able to introduce additional residents to community health and the mission-driven service to underserved communities. With the shortage of primary care providers, Sea Mar’s program is successful in retaining a new generation of primary care providers to serve in community health.
