Elkin, NC, January 29, 2024
Hugh Chatham Health is excited to announce the launch of a new family medicine rural residency program. To celebrate this venture, an event was held on Thursday, January 18th at The Heritage Center in Elkin with over 75 attendees including health system board members and medical staff, state senator Eddie Settle, community leaders, and administrative leaders and faculty from Campbell University – School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM), the academic sponsoring partner of the new program.
Paul Hammes, Chief Executive Officer, shared that urban settings hold 80% of current North Carolina family medicine slots and that the program will help resolve that imbalance as up to 12 family medicine residents enter this program by 2027. Mary Blackburn, Chief Clinical Officer and VP for Care Innovation at Hugh Chatham Health, discussed the impact of family medicine on overall community health and the role of residency programs in training the next generation of family physicians. Dr. Mary-Emma Beres, Hugh Chatham Health Residency Director, explained program design across its three-year curriculum. Attendees enjoyed remarks from Dr. Bradley Creed, President of Campbell University, Dr. Robin King-Thiele, Associate Dean for Postgraduate Affairs at CUSOM, and closing comments from Hugh Chatham Health’s Dr. Patrick Stevens, Associate Residency Director and a graduate of CUSOM.
The Hugh Chatham Health family medicine residency program will increase access to quality healthcare, offer a full spectrum of clinical learning experiences for new physicians, and include rotations in pediatrics, obstetrics, inpatient and outpatient family medicine, as well as select specialty opportunities.
“Hugh Chatham Health is committed to providing high-quality care and medical education and training for healthcare professionals. Over the next several years, our residents will receive comprehensive training to prepare them for a successful career in family medicine, with additional experience in providing care to rural communities. This program highlights our commitment to residents of the Greater Yadkin Valley, and we look forward to the official launch of Hugh Chatham Health – Family Medicine Residency in 2025,” stated Mary Blackburn.
Hugh Chatham Heatlh (www.hughchatham.org) is an independent, not-for-profit community health care network of physician clinics and an 81-bed acute care hospital that delivers high quality, convenient healthcare to residents of the Yadkin Valley region of North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. Employing more than 1000 team members, Hugh Chatham Health includes a medical group with more than 70 providers across 28 locations and five counties. Headquartered in Elkin, North Carolina, Hugh Chatham has been nationally recognized for patient satisfaction, patient safety, and clinical quality.
