GRANT TO VCOM FOR MEDICAL RESIDENCY PROGRAM

DRMC Partners with Blacksburg Medical School

to Bring Physicians to the Dan River Region

The Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) and Danville Regional Medical Center (DRMC) announced plans to begin medical residency programs at Danville Regional Medical Center in July 2010 to help address the shortage of physicians in the Dan River Region. The United States is facing a severe shortage of physicians.  Jerel Humphrey, CEO of Danville Regional Medical Center stated: “The recruitment of physicians required to meet the healthcare needs of our patients is getting harder and harder everyday as the demand for physician services is far exceeding the supply. By training our own physicians we will greatly increase our ability to attract and retain physicians to serve the Dan River Region.” According to the Council on Graduate Medical Education the United States will face a shortage of approximately 100,000 physicians by 2020. 

The collaborative effort between VCOM and DRMC has been made possible by a generous grant from the Danville Regional Foundation to VCOM to fund up to $165,000 of the start-up costs associated with VCOM’s development of medical training programs at DRMC.  The Foundation is also providing funding to establish five $36,000 stipends to encourage physicians to remain within the Dan River Region upon successful completion of their training at DRMC. The maximum total funding available through Danville Regional Foundation is $345,000.

According to Dr. Bob Ashby, Board Chair of the Danville Regional Foundation, the establishment of medical residency programs at DRMC will help attract and retain well trained physicians in the Dan River Region which are needed to address the many long term health problems of the area such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Dr. Ashby stated,“The Dan River Region is a medically underserved area and the shortage is particularly severe in primary care areas such as family practice.  The establishment of medical residency programs will also benefit the area economically as the medical residents will work and live in the area.”

In addition to the funding provided through the Danville Regional Foundation, DRMC and VCOM are also contributing resources to the program. Both the medical school and the hospital are committed to supporting the recruitment and employment of a Director of Medical Education and a Medical Education Coordinator. The initial goal of VCOM and DRMC are to establish primary care training programs such as family practice.

VCOM’s President, James Wolfe, Ph.D. stated, “We are extremely pleased with DRMC’s decision to move forward with establishing medical residency training programs and are grateful for the support provided through the Danville Regional Foundation. VCOM is committed to meeting the need for physicians in rural and medically underserved areas, and feels strongly that to meet this need we must recruit our students from rural and medically underserved areas and also to train them in these same communities. DRMC has demonstrated, with its depth of services and patient volumes, that it is an excellent place to train new physicians and we look forward to the day new physicians start treating patients in your hometown.”

About VCOM: Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) prepares osteopathic primary care physicians to serve the rural and medically underserved areas of Virginia, North Carolina and the remaining Appalachian region. VCOM was the first medical school partner of Virginia Tech, operating with a collaborative partnership in biomedical research and in student services.

About Osteopathic Physicians: Osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) are licensed in every state to practice the full scope of medicine, including examining patients, diagnosing illness, performing surgery, and writing prescriptions. D.O.s practice in every field of medicine as full physicians and since their training emphasizes principles that the body can heal itself given optimum conditions, disease prevention and proper nutrition and exercise are emphasized in their practice of medicine. D.O.s are also trained in musculoskeletal manipulation to address overall health needs of their patients.

About The Danville Regional Foundation: The Danville Regional Foundation seeks to develop, promote and support activities that improve the health, education and wellbeing of the residents of the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County, VA and Caswell County, NC. The Foundation has paid or committed approximately 40 million dollars since its founding in 2005.

About Danville Regional Medical Center: Danville Regional is the leading medical center in the Dan River Region of Virginia and North Carolina. Approximately 140 physicians are on the medical staff. The medical center employs approximately 1,200 people. For additional information, visit www.danvillenewsandviews.com.

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