Related Experiment Videos
Enhancing community support for family practice residencies
1University of Wisconsin Family Practice Residency, Appleton, USA.
Family Medicine
|July 1, 1995
Summary
Engaging community leaders in primary care residency programs secures vital financial and political support. This collaboration benefits both the residency and the community by ensuring a healthy workforce and controlling healthcare costs.
Area of Science:
- Primary Care Medicine
- Medical Education
- Community Engagement
Background:
- Primary care is crucial for workforce health and controlling healthcare costs.
- Employers, insurers, and the public have a vested interest in primary care.
- This creates a strong foundation for seeking support for primary care training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the benefits of involving community and business leaders in supporting primary care residency programs.
- To establish a formal support network for residencies.
Main Methods:
- Formed an advisory board comprising community and business leaders.
- Focused board activities on public relations, political influence, recruitment, and fundraising.
- Developed strategies to generate political and financial backing for the residency.
Main Results:
- The advisory board influenced political decisions impacting the residency.
- Generated over $100,000 in financial support for the program within 3.5 years.
Conclusions:
- Involving local non-medical leaders on advisory boards offers significant advantages to residency programs.
- Recruiting community leaders who benefit from residencies into formal support networks is recommended.