Aviva Health Welcomes Second Cohort of Eight Doctors to Residency Program

Eight family medicine physicians joined Aviva Health’s Roseburg Family Medicine Residency Program last week, increasing the total number of doctors in the program to 16. A partnership with CHI Mercy Health, Aviva Health’s residency program is the only one of its kind in Douglas County and aims to train and retain doctors to practice in rural areas of Oregon. “For the next three years, the eight family medicine physicians will train and practice right here in Douglas County, learning from our faculty how to compassionately and skillfully care for people of all ages,” says Heidi Beery, MD, program director of the residency. “Our goal is two-fold: Not only are we preparing these doctors to practice in a rural environment, we’re introducing them and acculturating them to our area in the hope they will choose to stay and practice here in Douglas County or other rural regions of Oregon.” According to a study published in the journal Family Medicine, more than half of family medicine physicians practice within 100 miles of their residency program. That bodes well for Douglas County, an area recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration as a health provider shortage area. Last year, the program welcomed its inaugural class of eight resident physicians. They care for patients on a regular basis at Aviva Health, CHI Mercy Health, and the Roseburg VA Health Care System. During their different clinical rotations, the residents also work alongside providers at Accent on Women’s Health, Excellence in Women’s Healthcare, Family Tree Medical Clinic, the urgent care at Umpqua Health Newton Creek, and Valley Ridge Family Medicine. As they move into year two of the program, the residents will add an addiction medicine rotation at Adapt, an orthopedic rotation at CMG Orthopedics, and a sports medicine rotation at Umpqua Orthopedics to their schedules. Next year, the residency will be at full capacity when it adds another eight family medicine doctors to the program. From that point forward, the program will operate with 24 physicians rotating from training location to training location. The arrival of next year’s cohort of residents times perfectly with the opening of Aviva Health’s new medical clinic, a 31,000-sq.-ft. building that will provide an additional 34 exam rooms, conference space and a dedicated area for resident precepting. For more information on the Roseburg Family Medicine Residency Program, please visit www.aviva.health. Via Aviva Health Release