worked at CHC for over a decade, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, they had witnessed firsthand workforce turnover, increased individual workloads, and limits on access to care. And they were all directly involved in medical education — as a group CHC physicians have been involved with medical education as teaching faculty for students and residents at the University of Utah for over 40 years. This seemed like a natural next step and the funds from the federal Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Program and Utah state primary care development grant made this possible. Starting in May 2023, CHC embarked on the process of program development and ACGME accreditation with enthusiastic support from partners at Intermountain LDS Hospital, Primary Children’s Hospital, the University of Utah Health, Utah AHEC (Area Health Education Centers), and AUCH (Association of Utah Community Health), including from current and former family medicine residency program directors in Utah. Our intent is to complement rather than compete with existing Utah family medicine residencies and work in collaboration to expand family medicine training opportunities in Utah — each program offers something unique to potential residents. The CHC Family Medicine Residency (CHCFMR) received accreditation on October 24 and will accept the first class of residents in July 2025. Importantly, as a federally qualified health center, CHC is governed by a board composed of at least half of the health center patients. During the residency planning and development process, the CHC board and leadership worked closely alongside residency faculty, ensuring that the residency will ultimately remain accountable not just to the ACGME, but to the very patients served by future residents. The CHCFMR Will Focus on Training Residents for Rural and Underserved Practice The CHC Family Medicine Residency Program will train 12 residents (four per year) in diverse, underserved outpatient primary care settings across both urban and rural areas. In addition to their outpatient experience at CHC — where most patients are served in a language other than English, and over 90% are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level — residents will complete specialty and inpatient rotations at LDS Hospital and Primary Children’s Hospital, and affiliated clinical sites throughout the Salt Lake Valley. The program will have a particular focus on preparing residents for rural and/or underserved practice, including developing skills in behavioral health care, substance use disorder treatment, obstetrics and neonatal care, and outpatient gynecologic procedures. CHC’s broad scope of practice, coupled with the CHCFMR’s robust curriculum, will ensure that, upon graduation, residents are highly prepared for rural and/or underserved practice. By incorporating training in both rural and underserved settings in Utah, the CHCFMR will provide both the clinical skills residents need to provide high‑quality care to such populations, as well as 28
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