Local Riverside Hospitals Awarded $1.125 Million to Increase Access to Healthcare and Address Physician Shortage
Universal Health Services (UHS) Southern California Medical Education Consortium announced it has received $1.125 million in CalMedForce awards to increase access to healthcare and address physician shortages. Of the total grant, $225K will support Emergency Medicine Residency Program training, $225K will support Internal Medicine Program training, and $675K will support Family Medicine Program training. This important local residency program will help increase access to care in the region and expand the physician workforce. UHS Southern California Medical Education Consortium Residency Programs work directly with local UHS hospitals in Riverside County: Temecula Valley Hospital, Corona Regional Medical Center, and Southwest Healthcare System.
CalMedForce funding is generated by voter-approved Proposition 56 tobacco tax revenues (2016), and the latest award cycle will support 202 residency positions in 101 graduate medical education (GME) programs at hospitals and clinics throughout California, with an emphasis on those serving medically underserved communities. This round of funding also represented the largest applicant pool: 541 residents and 122 applications requesting over $96 million in funding.
"We are incredibly grateful to CalMedForce and the state of California for their support of UHS SoCal MEC’s residency programs and GME training across the state," said Michael Nduati, MD, Chief Academic Officer of UHS Southern California Medical Education Consortium. "We have a significant physician shortage in our region of Riverside County and this grant allows us to grow the programs needed to train physicians who will stay in the region and help improve the overall health of the community. This is one of the best investments the people of California could make for the future of robust quality healthcare in our state, and we at UHS are honored to train the next generation of healthcare leaders."
UHS Southern California Medical Education Consortium
The California Future Health Workforce Commission estimated that California will need 4,700 additional primary care clinicians by 2025 and approximately 4,100 more by 2030 to meet demand. Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC), in partnership with the University of California (UC), established the CalMedForce grant program to help address California’s looming physician shortage because medical school graduates must continue training in an accredited, specialty-specific GME residency program to obtain a medical license and care for patients independently.
"CalMedForce continues to demonstrate the high demand and need for GME opportunities," said Lupe Alonzo-Diaz, MPA, PHC President and CEO. "The lack of sufficient residency spots contributes to California’s physician shortage and limits the number of new doctors entering the workforce. With COVID-19 impacting life for the foreseeable future, programs like CalMedForce are even more essential to protect access to care for all Californians."
To date, CalMedForce has released over $114 million for 261 awards to 121 GME programs across California to retain and expand GME programs in primary care (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology) and emergency medicine. However, even with the additional funding, the shortage of California residency programs poses an ongoing challenge for expanding the physician workforce.
"We understand the vital statewide need for this program and the funding it provides to support California’s future physicians," said Cathryn Nation, MD, Vice President for Health Sciences at UC Office of the President. "The annual demand for funding reflects the importance of this program and its focus on the needs of medically underserved groups and communities."
About Corona Regional Medical Center
Corona Regional Medical Center (CRMC) is a 238-bed community hospital network comprised of a 160-bed acute care hospital and a 78-bed rehabilitation campus. CRMC is located in Riverside County – bordering Orange, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino counties – offering healthcare to approximately 275,000 people. Information about patient care or employment opportunities with CRMC can be obtained by calling 951-737-4343 or visiting our website. People seeking help in finding a physician or specialist can contact the Physician Referral Line at 800-882-4362.
About Inland Valley Medical Center Campus
Southwest Healthcare System - Inland Valley is the only hospital in the region to offer Level II Trauma Services, an Advanced Certified Primary Stroke Center, Total Joint Center with advanced certification from the Joint Commission for hip and knee surgery, as well as core certification for shoulder surgery, and spine services certified by The Joint Commission. Inland Valley is a nationally recognized center for weight-loss surgery by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program and was awarded the Blue Distinction for outstanding bariatric surgical services.
About Rancho Springs Medical Center Campus
Southwest Healthcare System - Rancho Springs, awarded the Blue Distinction for Outstanding Maternity Care, features the largest Family Birth Center in the region, including a Rady Children’s Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The only hospital in SW Riverside County to offer pediatric ER Services from Rady Emergency Physicians seven days a week/24 hours a day, Rancho Springs is also an Advanced Certified Primary Stroke Center, as well as the region’s only hospital system equipped with the da Vinci® Robotic XI Surgical System.
About Temecula Valley Hospital
Temecula Valley Hospital (TVH), with a 5 Star Medicare Hospital Compare rating, brings advanced technology, innovative programs, patient-centered and family sensitive care to area residents featuring 140 private patient rooms. TVH is the first Universal Health Services Hospital Emergency Department in the country to achieve accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) as a Geriatric Emergency Department. TVH specializes in advanced cardiac services, stroke care, general and surgical specialties, and orthopedics as a recent Blue Distinction® Center Designation for Quality in Knee and Hip Replacement Surgeries. TVH is nationally recognized for Patient Safety by the Leapfrog Group, with a 2020 and 2017 Top Hospital Award and eight ‘A’ Grades for Patient Safety.