STHS launching family medicine residency program

South Texas Health System announced Wednesday the launching of a new education program and residency, its newest effort to help bridge the gap in the statewide physician shortage.

The hospital system recently launched its accredited Graduate Medical Education (GME) program, which through its Consortium is implementing a residency, entitled the Family Medicine Residency Program to increase the number of healthcare providers across the Rio Grande Valley.

Citing the Texas Department of State Health Services, STHS pointed to the Valley as a region projected to have the highest need for physicians by 2030.

The program will begin in July with 10 first-year residents in partnership with Texas A&M University, and then 10 more residents will be accepted each year. The hospital system hopes to have 30 concurrent residents by 2026.

Dr. Youssef Majed, designated institutional official and chief academic officer of the STHS GME Consortium, hopes the program will help increase the number of physicians in the Valley to provide health care to an “underserved” community.

“This achievement is a testament to our commitment to providing exceptional medical education and healthcare services to the underserved communities in South Texas,” Majed said in a news release. “We look forward to continuing our mission of serving the healthcare needs of our community and producing outstanding family medicine practitioners.”

Throughout the three-year program, each resident will participate in rotations at STHS McAllen and be placed at the STHS Family Medicine Residency Clinic for continuity clinic requirements.

For Heidi Pareja, who will serve as the residency program director, the program will address healthcare needs by providing students with comprehensive training in family medicine including preventive care, chronic disease management and community-based healthcare delivery.

“By providing exposure to diverse patient populations, advanced technology and innovative medical practices, our program will play a crucial role in addressing the healthcare needs of the underserved populations in our region,” Pareja said in the release.

The new program, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, is the first of various specialized programs the hospital system hopes to establish across its acute care facilities.

The STHS GME Consortium hopes to launch more specialized residency programs within the next two years. Through these programs they hope to provide between 200 to 300 medical residents by 2026.

Those who partake in these residency programs will also conduct rotations at STHS Edinburg, STHS Children’s and STHS Heart, where they will receive clinical training.

“Along with providing the training that will help residents improve the future of medicine for the communities we serve, the programs will provide high quality care to Valley residents and foster the development of new treatment options,” said Majed in the release.

STHS Chief Executive Officer Lance Ames said the hospital system “secured some incredible local physicians who are excited and eager to train the next generation of doctors” to improve care in the Valley.

Emma Montes-Ewing, STHS McAllen’s new CEO, shared similar sentiments.

“The official accreditation of our family medicine residency program is a giant leap in tackling our underserved situation,” she said in the release. “It will set the foundation for the structure that will support more access to care and a source for sustainable and successful physician recruitment as we continue to serve the healthcare needs of our RGV community.”