On September 17, Ohio Academy of Family Physicians President Anna McMaster, MD, wrote to both Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown asking for their support of legislation to extend funding for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program which is set to expire on Monday, September 30. Since inception, this program has trained over 1,000 primary care physicians and dentists nationwide who, in return, have established practices and provided high-quality care to millions of Americans.
The THCGME program requires a four-year commitment. The first year is dedicated to recruiting family medicine residency candidates and the following 36 months are required to complete the residency training. The per-resident payments cover the cost of salaries and benefits for residents, faculty and staff, curriculum development, and medical liability. Uncertain funding jeopardizes a teaching health center’s ability to recruit candidates if they are not able to commit for the full term. The threat of discontinued funding led to the closure of a family medicine THCGME residency program in 2017.
U.S. states with higher ratios of primary care physician-to-population ratios have better health outcomes, including lower rates of all causes of mortality. At a time when disparities in health outcomes are most acutely felt in rural and underserved communities – where most THCGME programs are located – Congress should be doing all it can to support family physicians who are on the frontlines of delivering care in these communities.