Xavier Becerra United States Secretary of Health and Human Services | Official Website
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), has awarded over $11 million to 15 organizations to establish new residency programs in rural communities. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden announced these awards during a visit to a rural health clinic in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
Building on HRSA’s Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative, one program will create the first obstetrics and gynecology Rural Track Program in the country, while six others will develop new family medicine residency programs with enhanced obstetrical training in rural areas.
“Every American should have access to high-quality health care no matter where they live. That is why HHS is investing in programs that improve and expand access in geographic areas that have historically been underserved,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Training more doctors in our country's rural areas is a proven strategy to recruit and retain doctors to serve rural communities. By funding new residency programs focused on OB-GYN training, we can help eliminate maternal care deserts, an important step in making pregnancy and childbirth safer.”
“Rural communities need physicians, and the Health Resources and Services Administration is committed to helping build this workforce through steps like our work to create rural residency programs,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “This funding will help build pathways for rural students to become doctors and help rural communities recruit and train more doctors. We are particularly pleased to support new programs aimed at training new physicians to care for pregnant women.”
Retaining and recruiting physicians in underserved and rural areas remains a critical priority of the Biden-Harris Administration. These awards add to nearly $54 million that HRSA has invested in the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program (RRPD) since 2019. Past recipients of RRPD awards have created 46 accredited rural residency programs approved for training 575 resident physicians overall. In this year’s 2024 Residency Match, RRPD-created residency programs matched 158 new residents who will start their training this summer.
Today’s award recipients will each receive up to $750,000 over three years for establishing new rural residency programs. The funding will cover accreditation costs, curriculum development, faculty recruitment and retention, resident recruitment activities, as well as consultation services for program development.
Organization | State | Funding Amount | Specialty
---|---|---|---
Adventist Health THCHPI Valley | CA | $749,997 | Family Medicine
Good Samaritan Hospital, A California Limited Partnership | CA | $747,150 | Family Medicine
Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital | HI | $750,000 | Family Medicine
Full Circle Health Inc. | ID | $750,000 | Family Medicine
Woodlawn Hospital | IN | $750,000 | Family Medicine
Claiborne Memorial Medical Center | LA | $750,000 | Family Medicine
MaineHealth ME$749841FamilyMedicineUniversityofArkansasforMedicalSciencesAR$749978FamilyMedicinewithEnhancedTraininginObstetrics(OB)LakewoodHealthSystemMN$749998FamilyMedicine-OBDeltaHealthSystemMS$750000FamilyMedicine-OBUniversityofMontanaMT$750000FamilyMedicine-OBTheMedicalUniversityofSouthCarolinaSC$750000FamilyMedicine-OBDoctorsHospitalatRenaissanceLtdTX$749356FamilyMedicine-OBCorryMemorialHospitalAssociationPA$750000PsychiatryUniversityofWisconsin*WI$750000ObstetricsandGynecology*FirstObstetricsandGynecologyRuralTrackPrograminthecountry
HRSA's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy coordinates activities related to rural health care within HHS while providing grant funding at state and local levels aimed at increasing access to high-quality health care.
For further information about the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program or HRSA's other initiatives related to rural health grants and programs:
Visit: [HRSA RRPD](https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/grants/rural-health-research-policy/rrpd)
Visit: [HRSA Rural Health](https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health)
