Local Medical Residency Program Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Central WA Family Medicine Residency celebrates 20 years of service to the community
YAKIMA, WA – Central Washington Family Medicine Residency (CWFM-R), a not-for-profit healthcare physician residency program and service of Community Health of Central Washington (CHCW), is proud to announce the 20th anniversary of its founding. In 1993, the originating members – the two local hospitals, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital and Providence Yakima Medical Center (now Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center), the medical staff, and local community leaders – joined to form the only residency program in the Central Washington area, with the primary goal of improving access to affordable health care by training and retaining family physicians in the community.
CWFMR continues to graduate the best and brightest family physicians by providing comprehensive training and experience in both the hospital and clinic settings. The program is committed to the development of excellent, board-certified family physicians with demonstrated clinical, technical, and interpersonal competencies. Nearly 30 of the program’s graduates have remained in the Yakima Valley to practice, serving patients of all ages, regardless of the ability to pay.
“The greatest satisfaction from the past 20 years comes from seeing the transformation of primary care access in our community, and the creation of opportunities for young people in our community to aspire to and to attain training in their community,” says Mike Maples, MD, founding Program Director and current CEO of Community Health of Central Washington.
Although CWFMR is owned by Community Health of Central Washington (CHCW), Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital and Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center provide primary financial support for CWFMR. Additionally, in 2011 and again in 2012, CWFMR was awarded Teaching Health Center residency expansion funding provided through the Affordable Healthcare Act. These funds allowed CWFMR to expand the program from a total of 18 resident physicians to 30 resident physicians, and significantly increased CWFMR’s ability to provide primary care and a wide array of much needed services to the region and beyond.
“The program’s success grows from the commitment of the founders, our current employees, our past and present resident physicians, the medical staff and the community,” adds Russell Maier, MD, current CWFMR Program Director.
About Central Washington Family Medicine Residency Program
Central WA Family Medicine Residency Program, a service of Community Health of Central Washington, is a 30 resident family medicine residency program and provides a rich learning experience. Residents learn to provide community based comprehensive and continuous ambulatory care to medically underserved patients representative of the cultural, socio-economic and demographic diversity of Central Washington. The program provides full spectrum Family Medicine training including obstetrics, integrated behavioral health, osteopathic manipulation medicine, procedural training and inpatient pediatric and adult medicine. Residency is the last component of physician training following medical school and prior to specialty certification and entry into independent practice. The CWFM Residency Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
About Community Health of Central Washington
Community Health of Central Washington (CHCW) is a nonprofit organization providing high quality, affordable primary health care, dental, and mental health services to area residents. CHCW provides services to more than 25,000 people annually through six locations, without regard to income and ability to pay. Headquartered in Yakima, CHCW owns and operates the following locations and clinics: Central Washington Family Medicine, Central Washington Family Residency Program, Yakima Pediatrics, Community Health of Central Washington – Ellensburg, Ellensburg Dental Care, Naches Medical Clinic, and Pediatric Hospitalist Service. For more information, visit www.commhealthcw.org .