HOUSE AND SENATE PASS SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET
$1 Million To Benefit Community Health Center Residency Programs
BOSTON—State Representative David Torrisi (D-North Andover) joined his colleagues Senator Barry Finegold (D-Andover) and Representative Marcos Devers (D-Lawrence) in announcing today the passage of a supplemental budget which will provide $1 million in workforce development grants to community health centers. The purpose of these grants will be to recruit and train primary care physicians in the Commonwealth. This funding will benefit such programs as the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center’s Lawrence Family Medicine Residency Program.
These grants, which will be administered by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, will provide much needed funding for the nationally recognized program at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center. This program is the first and only Residency program fully operated by a community health center. The unique design brings much needed care to an often underserved population. Access to primary care improves health and saves money by encouraging prevention and early diagnosis of chronic conditions.
“I am pleased that my colleagues have recognized the importance of funding this program. There is a shortage of primary care physicians in this state and as a result costs have skyrocketed as people are going to the ER rather than receiving appropriate preventative care”, said Torrisi. “This program not only helps increase access to quality primary care physicians but also helps to contain health care expenditures in the Commonwealth.” “The work Greater Lawrence Family Health Care is doing is phenomenal,” added Finegold. “They are helping to fill the need for family physicians while serving a population that needs affordable, quality health care close to home. Preventive medicine is key to keeping our health care costs down, and GLFHC does exactly that. I’m happy to see this money going to such a worth residency program.”
Greater Lawrence Family Health Center is in the unique position of being the only community health center in the country with the full responsibility for all costs associated with the residency program. In fiscal year 2010, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts eliminated all Graduate Medical Education funding. This represents an annual reduction of more than $800,000, or 25 percent of the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency total funding. “As of 2009 Massachusetts was only one of nine states not funding training for physicians. This funding will help offset a significant annual deficit that our program incurs as a result of the elimination of state funding of residency programs several years ago," said Bob Ingala, CEO of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center.
In Massachusetts, only 2.9 percent of the residency positions are offered in family medicine; this is far below the national average and not enough openings currently exist for graduates who choose family medicine. As a result the state is training medical school students and exporting future family physicians to other states. Since the program was established in 1993, the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center’s Family Medicine Residency Program has graduated 127 family medicine physicians, a majority of whom stay in Massachusetts providing primary care. “By providing more opportunities for family medicine doctors to train in Massachusetts, we can increase access to primary care physicians in our area,” said Devers. “More primary care doctors mean more preventative care and fewer trips to the emergency room.”
In September the Lawrence delegation was pleased to have House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey visit the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center to hear firsthand about the need for funding and the importance of the Family Residency Program. "The visit was an excellent opportunity for Chairman Dempsey to hear from the family medicine residents about the strengths of the program and also to hear about the challenges they face because of the budget cuts," said Torrisi. "We appreciate that he took the time to hear our concerns and recognized the need to support this program."
October 7, 2011
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