The Institute for Family Health Receives HRSA Funding for Primary Care Training Enhancement Program in Ulster County

Kingston, NY (June 24, 2020) – The Institute for Family Health was awarded a five-year, $2,000,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s primary care training enhancement program. The Institute will use the funds to enhance training at the Mid-Hudson Family Medicine Residency Program in Ulster County in the areas of behavioral medicine, addiction medicine, musculoskeletal and sports medicine, and telehealth services.

The Institute’s co-founder, president and CEO, Dr. Neil Calman, said, “We are eager to have this opportunity to further prepare the primary care physician workforce in the Mid-Hudson Valley to meet the needs of community residents. Primary care is becoming more complex every day and these training funds will help us ensure that our residency graduates have the knowledge and experience to serve their communities for years to come.”

The grant-funded program will enhance training in interprofessional, team-based care and improve residents’ skills in high-need areas like substance abuse treatment and telehealth. Over the five-year period, a total of 50 family physicians will graduate the program with enhanced competency in integrated primary care practice in medically underserved and rural communities, and at least 14 faculty will receive enhanced faculty development training. The program builds on the Institute’s innovative health workforce development programs, specifically its community-oriented, primary care family physician residency programs in the Mid-Hudson Valley and New York City. The Institute’s grant is one of 20 primary care training enhancement awards made by HRSA across the country, and the only one in New York.

Dr. Megan McMullan, the director of the Mid-Hudson residency program, said, “We are delighted to have these additional resources to enhance our residency program in the Mid-Hudson region. To be able to offer such extensive training for residents, tailored to the specific high-need communities we serve, will improve our patients’ health and provide our residents with important skills they will use throughout their careers.”

In a statement, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said, “Supporting a strong health workforce is essential to improving health in rural and underserved communities.”

The Institute’s Mid-Hudson Family Medicine Residency Program, in operation since 1979, provides community-based graduate medical education in Kingston, New Paltz and Ellenville, NY. The program was one of the first federally-funded “Teaching Health Centers” in the nation and currently graduates 10 physicians annually. A large number of program graduates continue to practice in the Hudson Valley after completing residency.  Medical students are invited to visit institute.org/midhudsonresidency for information on how to apply for a residency position for the 2021-2022 academic year.

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The Institute for Family Health (www.institute.org) is a federally qualified health center network that operates 32 practices in New York State serving more than 115,000 patients annually.  Services are available to people of all ages, regardless of ability to pay.