Medical residency first class to start in July

The first Family Medicine Residency Program class is slated to begin in July.

Primary Plus Medical Director Craig Denham said the Browning Medical Building is currently under construction and recruitment for the program has received several applications from interested participants.

This program would be the first rural family medicine teaching facility in the nation where a Federally Qualified Health Center would be the sole provider for the post-graduate training program, meaning it would be supported both financially and academically by the non-profit organization.

PrimaryPlus is working with the Accreditation Council for General Medical Education, Health Resources and Services Administration and various other local medical partners to bring this program to fruition. The residency program could see its first class as early as the summer of 2024, which would bring four physicians to the region to practice and train for three years.

Each year, the program would add four additional doctors to the program, hosting a full class of 12 residents by 2026.

“We will be taking our first class in July,” Denham said. “We’re in the middle of recruitment. So far, we’ve received 151 applicants for our first four slots. These are applicants from coast to coast. We’re probably interviewing 60 out of those 151 because we just don’t have the time to interview everyone. The response has been phenomenal. There’s a lot of interest. I think that speaks to the character of the community.”

The primary focus of the residency program will be family medicine, however, PrimaryPlus also plans to use its specialty services such as OB/GYN and pediatrics to help provide the residents with a well-rounded experience.

According to Denham, the construction on the building will occur in phases.

“The primary focus is the first floor, where the residency will be headquartered. That has to be completed by the beginning of July,” he said.

The second floor of the building will be rental space.

“We’ve had some interest already,” he said. “The third floor will be Primary Plus’ mental health division. Hopefully, we’ll have the total building completed within two to three years. But, all of that is on hold until the residency program is up and running.”

Maysville Mayor Debra Cotterill said the city would help efforts to retain those in the program.

“I think once they come…there was a program that the UK Extension did at one time where individuals in the community would invite them to churches or to the Rotary meetings, just things that would allow them to interact,” Cotterill said. “We would be happy to support some efforts like that as well.”

Denham said it is important to try to retain medical professionals in this area.

“If we could keep at least one out of every class, that would be a professional bounty for the Buffalo Trace area,” he said.

In January 2023, the program was approved to be a sponsoring institution by ACGME, allowing it to move onto the next milestones which include a lengthy application process, site visits, location planning, and securing financial funding to sustain the program.

It is estimated that the program will cost $170,000 per resident and an additional $1.5 million to cover support staff, equipment, and clinical space throughout a resident’s three-year stay. Denham said the organization would need to raise $1.2 million in funding to make the residency program happen and an additional $6 million for the longevity of the program.

PrimaryPlus has secured generous donations from Savage Valley Health Foundation and Western & Southern Financial. PrimaryPlus will also be applying for support through HRSA and other various private foundations. Currently, they are also exploring ways to support housing stipends, recruitment incentives, and special resident financing.

Mason County Judge-Executive Owen McNeill said he is pleased about the update on the residency.

“I’m been incredibly pleased with progress on the Primary Plus Family Medicine Residency Training Program, both the build-out of the former Browning Medical Clinic and the programming. We’ve tried to accommodate and assist the Trace Creek Construction team as much as possible given their tight deadline of this spring and summer and they’re busy transforming the three-story building located in Downtown Maysville,” McNeill said. “For the residency program itself, we’ve discussed with Dr. Denham not only helping market our community to their prospective residents but also providing a warm welcome to those that are accepted. As a community, we want to ensure they stay once their training is complete. Dr. Denham highlights that almost 65 percent of residents stay within 70 miles of their original residency program. I’m hoping that Highlighting our quality of life and community charm is an investment in our future healthcare talent for Maysville and Mason County.”