FEATURE

Baystate Medical Center Awarded $6.7 Million in HRSA Grants

BMC Received 2 of 5 Primary Care Residency Expansion Grants Awarded in Massachusetts

Baystate's 2 awards are part of $167.3 million in Primary Care Residency Expansion (PCRE) grants—$16 million in Massachusetts—that will go towards building the primary care workforce and providing community-based prevention by funding 82 accredited residency training programs in general pediatrics, general internal medicine, and family medicine. "These grants are the most comprehensive yet in addressing our nation's shortage of key health professionals," declared Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN, administrator of HRSA.

Starting in July 2011, the grants will fund an additional 4 positions in internal medicine and 3 in pediatrics each year for 5 years, increasing the number of residents per class from 18 to 22 for internal medicine, and 9 to 12 for pediatrics. At the close of the 5-year grant period, support of the new positions will shift to BMC.

Will Help Alleviate Shortage of Primary Care Physicians in Region

This is the first expansion of the internal medicine and pediatrics residencies in about 20 years. The number of residents has not grown to keep pace with the tremendous increase in patient volume generated by the addition of Baystate's neighborhood health clinics, a large ambulatory center at 3300 Main Street, and the D’Amour Cancer Center. And both inpatient and outpatient volumes will continue to grow with the Hospital of the Future and additional ambulatory sites.

With a third of all physicians in the region having had some training at BMC, BMC is a critical pipeline for physicians in western Massachusetts. The additional 14 graduates after 5 years—49 after 10 years—represents a significant increase in the supply of primary care physicians to the region.

Enhanced Primary Care Tracks

The new positions created by the grants provide for developing primary care tracks within these residencies that emphasize meeting the needs of poor and vulnerable populations and developing systems of care that are effective, efficient, and equitable. Residents will have the opportunity to rotate through a variety of rural, suburban, and subspecialty practice settings. Training in underserved areas has been shown by HRSA to increase the likelihood that the individual will go on to practice in underserved areas.

Tony Motyl, MSW, Manager of Grants Acquisition, Department of Government and Community Affairs, developed the grant application with assistance from Drs. Kevin Hinchey and Barbara Stechenberg, program directors of the internal medicine and pediatrics residencies respectively, and department chairs, Dr. David Longworth, Internal Medicine, and Dr. Lindsey Grossman, Pediatrics.