Bresnahan Announces Grants to The Wright Center to Expand Rural Medical Residency Programs

SCRANTON, PA: Today, U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan, Jr. (PA-08) announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded two federal grants totaling $1,250,000 to The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education.

"The health of our region depends on having enough qualified physicians and health professionals where they are most needed, from our rural areas to our underserved neighborhoods," said Rep. Bresnahan. "That is why these investments are so critical. By supporting The Wright Center's rural residency planning efforts and their innovative Continuum of Care initiative, we are addressing two urgent challenges at once: the shortage of primary care doctors in rural Pennsylvania and the need to provide compassionate, whole-person care to our most vulnerable neighbors."

"These grants will help train the next generation of family physicians in the very communities they will serve, ensuring people can access quality care close to home," continued Rep. Bresnahan. "They will also empower physicians-in-training to meet people where they are and deliver not just medical treatment, but behavioral health support, substance use disorder services, and the kind of continuity of care that can change lives."

The first grant, in the amount of $750,000, will go to Graduate Medical Education, to support the planning and development of new rural medical residency programs in underserved communities across Pennsylvania. The grant, awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Rural Residency Planning and Development Program, will enhance statewide efforts to train family medicine physicians through innovative, community-based residency programs.

"We are inspired by and profoundly grateful for Congressman Rob Bresnahan's steadfast commitment to addressing the health services and physician workforce development needs of underserved and rural communities," said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. "With only 2% of residency training occurring in rural areas, initiatives like the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Residency Planning and Development Program are solution-oriented and absolutely vital.

"By pursuing the development and launch of an ACGME-accredited Rural Family Medicine Residency program in partnership with Primary Health Network, we can improve access to comprehensive primary health services, while cultivating the next generation of family physicians who are far more likely to stay and serve in the rural communities where they train. Rural counties in Pennsylvania face significant public health challenges related to the underserved population's chronic medical conditions and behavioral health needs, exacerbated by high poverty rates and physician shortages.

"This HRSA Rural Residency Planning and Development Program grant empowers us to leverage the proven legacies of Primary Health Network as a Federally Qualified Health Center and The Wright Center's community-driven, Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium model to collaboratively create community victories that expand access to whole-person primary and preventive health services.

"Our continuous learning and collaborative success will energize and improve the quality of health services and physician and interprofessional workforce development in underserved and rural communities."

The second grant, in the amount of $500,000, was awarded as part of the Primary Care Training and Enhancement - Resident Training in Street Medicine Program. The grant, which will support The Wright Center's Continuum of Care initiative, will go towards supporting the next generation of physicians in essential healthcare practices and services, aimed at serving all populations.

"We are equally thankful to Congressman Robert Bresnahan for his support of innovative, community-driven solutions like our collaborative Northeast Pennsylvania Community Continuum of Care initiative," continued Dr. Thomas-Hemak. "This federally awarded grant aims to strengthen our community's collective capacity to improve population health outcomes and to inspire and prepare the next generation of competent primary care physicians to provide whole-person, interprofessional services for vulnerable populations across rural and urban communities.

"By training our physicians in Street Medicine and embedding them alongside our community partners in the very settings where people experiencing homelessness live and seek refuge, we will work together to provide essential health and social services, including compassionate, high-quality, whole-person primary and preventive health services and organized network services to address the complex health-related social needs that perpetuate homelessness. Through this collective effort, we can extend dignity and longitudinal continuity of care for our high-risk homeless population. Our services will include management of acute and chronic diseases, behavioral health support, substance use disorder treatment, and the provision of essential supplies.

"This work reflects our mission-driven journey to improve the health and welfare of our communities through responsive, whole-person health services for all and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve."

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