Paris, TN – Henry County Medical Center is one of eight hospitals in the United States to receive a grant to begin a rural residency program. Furthermore, HCMC will be one of two hospitals in the country offering an internal medicine program.
HCMC has partnered with Lincoln Memorial University-Debusk College of Medicine (LMUDCOM) to develop the new internal medicine residency program. HCMC received the three year, $750,000 grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to build its residency program and reach accreditation.
Amanda Finley, DO FACOI FACP, a hospitalist at HCMC and also the Director of Medical Education and Designated Institutional Officer for the medical residency program, spearheaded HCMC’s effort to obtain the grant.
“It is an incredible opportunity to be a sponsoring institution because it can change the medical care in our community and region,” said Dr. Finley.
Henry County is a designated primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and mental health HPSA. Tennessee ranks first in the nation for closure of rural hospitals per capita. Since 2010, there have been 12 rural hospital closures, including at least five rural hospital closures in West Tennessee.
“Second- and third-year residents are licensed physicians, which will provide reimbursement to the organization,” said Finley. “There will be quite a bit of savings to the organization and increased patient care and satisfaction.”
Currently, HCMC has third- and fourth-year medical students doing clinical rotations in the hospital under Finley’s oversight. She noted that both the medical student and residency programs are also valuable recruiting tools for HCMC to potentially keep these physicians in the hospital’s service area.
HCMC is currently seeking preceptors for both our medical student and residency programs. HCMC plans to accept residents into our program in August 2023.
The mission of the program is “Growing Future Physicians to Transform the Health of Rural and Underserved Communities.” The program is under the guidance of Dr. Finley as well as our Outpatient Director, Scott Whiby, MD, FACP and our residency coordinator, Linda Burks, MA, MT.
To learn more about the residency program, check out this video on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/xcDL5W361Xk To learn more about becoming a preceptor, call the program coordinator at 731-644-8500.
About Henry County Medical Center
Located in Paris, TN, Henry County Medical Center is a progressive, integrated healthcare organization committed to serving the healthcare needs of Henry County and the adjoining region. Including a 142-bed hospital and other facilities, the medical center provides a variety of outpatient services, as well as inpatient care. Additionally, HCMC owns and operates 7 provider clinics in various specialties. Henry County Medical Center is a county-owned and operated nonprofit institution. For more information: www.hcmc-tn.org.