relationships with physicians throughout the state to support graduate retention. Graduates working in these underserved areas will be eligible for student loan repayment programs including HRSA NHSC (National Health Service Corps), further supporting primary care physician retention in rural and medically underserved areas. By 2050, CHCFMR will have graduated 88 family physicians practicing in medically underserved areas in Utah. Yet, the impact of the CHCFMR is not limited to its graduates. Given that residents will provide patient care to an urban underserved population in the family medicine practice during residency, they will have a direct impact on access to care. In one year, among all programs nationally, 932 THCGME residents treated 792,000 patients during more than 1.2 million patient encounters. We project that, when the CHCFMR has the full complement of 12 residents, this will increase CHC’s capacity by 8,400 outpatient encounters annually. Furthermore, like other THCGME programs, CHCFMR will provide more access to telehealth, opioid use treatment, and integrated services in the service area. And by the nature of our practice model at CHC, CHCFMR will increase access to pregnancy-related care and pediatric care. CHCFMR enables us to increase access to healthcare in our patient population. Future Opportunities We need the support of all family physicians and family medicine advocates. THCGME Funding is awaiting appropriation in Congress — you can contact your House and Senate representatives now to support this program. While the vast majority of CHCFMR resident rotations and experiences are in place, the program will only be strengthened by further community partnerships. Whether you are a physician in a rural or urban area, if you are interested in collaborating to train the Utah workforce of the future, please contact us. Individual family physicians can also contribute to addressing primary care needs as mentors and clinical preceptors for medical students, undergrad and high school students, as role modeling has a strong influence on career choice. Finally, CHC Family Medicine Residency demonstrates there is opportunity for others to develop new or expand current primary care training programs. There is potential to grow and expand CHC Family Medicine Residency at the current site or in new sites, or to start new Teaching Health Center residencies. HRSA continues to award Rural Residency Planning and Development grants. And many states have successfully used state funds, including Medicaid, to support primary care residency programs and, in turn, grow the physician workforce and expand access to care to their citizens — an opportunity Utah could explore. We are members of a specialty integral to the health and wellness of our communities. The next generation is ready to join us, and we can provide them training opportunities to accomplish these goals. For more information, visit our website at residency.chc-ut.org or email us at residency@chc-ut.org. (801) 676-9722 sales@thenewslinkgroup.com Boost Your Business by Advertising Here! SCAN THE QR CODE & CONTACT US TODAY! LAUNCH YOUR SALES 29
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