— Willmar could be the location of a new rural training program being developed by CentraCare and the University of Minnesota.
The University of Minnesota’s board of directors discussed the proposal with CentraCare and medical school leaders at Thursday’s board meeting, according to a University of Minnesota news release.
The university, CentraCare, and the Minnesota Department of Health received a $750,000 federal grant earlier this year to develop a rural residency program aimed at increasing rural health care workers.
The Regent is expected to act on the proposal at its February meeting.
Jakub Tolar, Dean of the School of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs, and Ken Holmen, President and CEO of CentraCare Health, spoke to the Regent at the conference about the medical needs of rural Minnesota.
They say there is a growing shortage of medical professionals in rural Minnesota. As a result, rural Minnesotans may have limited access to quality healthcare and reduced services in hospitals and clinics. Rural residents also tend to be older, putting them at greater risk of serious health conditions.
Tolar and Holmen discussed the possibility of increasing access to medical education in rural communities. CentraCare serves a large area of Southwest, Central, and West Central Minnesota.
Some possibilities discussed include expanding resident and clinical rotations within CentraCare, and regional campuses based on CentraCare facilities with training from M Medical College.
CentraCare and the university have conducted joint residency programs for over 25 years.
In an internal newsletter last fall, CentraCare informed employees that a Rural Residency Training Track was planned. In this track, the resident will train at his CentraCare in St. Cloud for one year and for the remaining two years he will be trained in the Willmar area.
It can take up to three years to develop a program into certification.
Dr. Richard Wehseler has been appointed Interim Program Director for the Willmar Area Rural Residency Training Track. He is a CentraCare New He is a Family Physician at the London Clinic.
“By training in the region, young doctors can integrate themselves into the community and see firsthand the value of living and raising a family in rural Minnesota,” Wehseler said in a newsletter article. I’m here.
Wilmar’s medical community has long been involved in the University’s Rural Medical Association program. This program provides third-year medical students with training in rural areas of Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
The program is expected to continue with the addition of a rural settlement program, according to the newsletter.
