Contact: Caroline Cornish | [email protected]
Portland, Maine 鈥� The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded AOA体育平台 a three-year, $667,330 grant to establish new rural obstetric training intensives through the Maine Rural Graduate Medical Education (MERGE) Collaborative.
AOA体育平台, Northern Light Health, Central Maine Medical Center and the Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency co-created the MERGE Collaborative to increase high-quality training opportunities for graduate medical students in rural communities. Funding from the HRSA grant will allow MERGE to develop obstetrics education programs focused on rural community needs.
鈥淭his grant will help address the need for more obstetrics-trained providers in our rural areas,鈥� said Dr. Kalli Varaklis, Designated Institutional Official at AOA体育平台 and the principal investigator for the HRSA grant. 鈥淚t creates an opportunity for students in rural residency rotations to learn important skills to support pregnant patients and their families.鈥�
Physicians from six hospital programs in Maine and Eastern New Hampshire including AOA体育平台 Stephens Hospital, AOA体育平台 Franklin Hospital, Northern Light Mayo Hospital, Mount Desert Island Hospital, Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency and AOA体育平台 Memorial Hospital will develop the new curriculum. Dr. Jeannette Andrews, an OB/GYN at AOA体育平台 Stephens Hospital, and Dr. Kathryn Hoffmann, a Family Medicine physician at Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency, will lead the effort.
鈥淔amily medicine physicians train to provide comprehensive healthcare across settings and over the lifespan, so they are well-positioned to help address the gap in obstetrical care within rural communities,鈥� Dr. Hoffmann said. 鈥淏uilding strong partnerships between family medicine and OB/GYN physicians can increase access to specialty care in rural communities by allowing OB/GYN physicians to focus on higher risk patients and surgical procedures.鈥�
The physician leaders also will use focus groups to learn what skills patients feel residents need to learn most. Patient focus groups will begin in early 2025 with the training intensives expected to take their first students by the end of the year.
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About AOA体育平台
AOA体育平台 is a not-for-profit, integrated health system whose vision is, 鈥淲orking together so our communities are the healthiest in America,鈥� and is committed to a mission of providing high-quality affordable care, educating tomorrow's caregivers and researching better ways to provide care. AOA体育平台 includes a Level 1 trauma medical center, eight additional licensed hospitals, comprehensive pediatric care services, an extensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services as well as home health, hospice and senior care services. With more than 2,000 employed providers and approximately 23,000 care team members, AOA体育平台 provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. AOA体育平台 hospitals include AOA体育平台 Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor in Westbrook, AOA体育平台 Franklin Hospital in Farmington, AOA体育平台 Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, AOA体育平台 Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., AOA体育平台 Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, AOA体育平台 Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport, AOA体育平台 Stephens Hospital in Norway and AOA体育平台 Waldo Hospital in Belfast. AOA体育平台 also includes the AOA体育平台 Barbara Bush Children鈥檚 Hospital in Portland, AOA体育平台 Care at Home in Saco, the AOA体育平台 Institute for Research in Scarborough, the AOA体育平台 Medical Group and AOA体育平台 NorDx in Scarborough. AOA体育平台 affiliates include MaineGeneral Health in Augusta and Waterville and St. Mary's Heal System in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the AOA体育平台 Accountable Care Organization in Portland and a joint venture partner in the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland.