Geisinger receives federal grant to expand residency training to serve rural and underserved populations

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded Geisinger a $2,487,103 Primary Care Training Enhancement (PCTE) grant for expansion of the Geisinger Lewistown Family Medicine Residency program over the next five years.

“We are thrilled to have received the full award for our submission, Enhancing and Expanding a Rural Family Medicine Residency in Central Pennsylvania,” said Michelle Thompson, MD, Geisinger’s associate chief academic officer for graduate medical education (GME) and associate dean for GME and designated institutional official (DIO). She noted that the funding will help enhance partnerships among Family Practice Centers, Primary Health Network and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) that together support the Geisinger Lewistown Family Medicine Residency program.

The executive grant team that created the proposal includes Dr. Thompson, as well as Janet Townsend, MD, senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs, GCSOM and Mandy Maneval, MD, PhD, program director, Geisinger Lewistown Family Medicine Residency program.

Dr. Thompson said grant funding will facilitate programming to:

• Enhance recruitment and retention of family medicine physicians
• Increase preparedness of residents to practice in rural/underserved areas
• Support development of pipeline programs for medical students to pursue rural training with a goal of enhanced retention for employment
• Stimulate needed curricular emphasis on telehealth, management of behavioral and mental health issues, substance abuse disorders, community and population health, and healthcare leadership.

The Geisinger Lewistown Family Medicine Residency program, based out of Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital, is a collaboration between Geisinger’s Academic Affairs, GCSOM, Family Practice Centers and Primary Health Network.

About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country.  Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.