Greater Lawrence Family Health Center is receiving $567,400 in a federal teaching health center grant to support its physician residency program.
Congresswoman Lori Trahan said last week the award comes from the Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Affordable Care Act Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program.
“As the first-in-the-nation accredited teaching health center, the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center has continued to provide critical health services to its patients while also training new generations of physicians who uniquely understand the health care needs of traditionally underserved communities,” Trahan said.
In June, Trahan cosponsored the Doctors of Community Act, which would permanently authorize the educational program, provide greater annual funding for fiscal years 2024 through 2033 and increase the number of residency slots available each year.
The program provides money to 56 teaching health centers and allows for more than 700 medical residents to be trained to serve in marginalized rural and urban communities as primary care physicians.
Dr. Guy Fish, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center said the award allows the Health Center “to focus on the future expansion of our nationally recognized Lawrence Family Medicine Residency program over the next four years” and “help us continue to meet the high demand for training a diverse primary care workforce that can address the increase in health care disparities facing our nation.”
The Lawrence Family Medicine Residency was founded in 1994, and is regarded as the first family medicine residency owned and operated by a community health center.
To further support the work of community health centers in the district, Trahan also announced $1.1 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act money is coming to Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, which operates in Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen.