HHS funds $12M to support primary care residency programs in Teaching Health Centers

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $12 million in Affordable Care Act funding to support primary care residency programs in 32 Teaching Health Centers across the nation. Funding will help train more than 300 residents during the 2013-2014 academic year, doubling the number of residents trained in the previous academic year.

“Teaching Health Centers help attract students who are committed to serving communities of need and prepare them to practice in these communities”

Administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Payment Program, created by the Affordable Care Act, expands residency training in community-based settings. Residents will be trained in family and internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and general and pediatric dentistry.

"Teaching Health Centers help attract students who are committed to serving communities of need and prepare them to practice in these communities," Secretary Sebelius said. "Students exposed to training opportunities in health center settings are more likely to stay in these communities and continue to contribute to the care of their residents."

Today's awards expand the number of states with Teaching Health Centers to 21, from 14 in 2012. Teaching Health Centers are located in a variety of settings, including urban, rural, and Tribal communities, and serve populations such as veterans and their families, minority communities, older adults, children and adolescents.

"This program not only provides training to primary care medical and dental residents, but also galvanizes communities," said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. "It brings hospitals, academic centers, health centers, and community organizations together to provide top-notch medical education and services in areas of the country that need them most."