NUHEALTH ESTABLISHES NEW OSTEOPATHIC FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM AT NUMC AND AT FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2012
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
NUHEALTH ESTABLISHES NEW OSTEOPATHIC FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM AT NUMC AND AT FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS
East Meadow, NY….In an effort to help meet the national demand for primary care physicians and expand access to primary care services in underserved communities, Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System, announced the establishment of the new osteopathic family medicine residency program, sponsored through a LI Federally Qualified Health Center, Inc. grant. Under the leadership of Peter A Guiney, DO, FACOFP, Director of the Residency Program and Chair of the Family Medicine Department, this new residency program will include fourteen family resident physicians who will train at the Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) and at its Family Health Centers, which are co-operated with the Long Island Federally Qualified Health Center, Inc.
On April 1, 2012, NUMC accepted in transfer sixteen displaced residents from the recently closed Peninsula Hospital Center allowing them to complete the training interrupted by the Peninsula closure. Nine of these sixteen residents graduated this week. Seven remain and three others have been recruited through the match program, with four additional ones rotating and staying on as second year osteopathic residents. This supports NUMC’s plans to begin an osteopathic family medicine residency program to begin on July 1st, 2012, with a total of fourteen family medicine residents, including three first year, eight second year and three third year residents. Under the supervision of an attending physician, these family medicine residents will provide continuity of care and are trained as health educators, patient advocates and excellent communicators. A major goal of the residency program is to keep patients healthy and out of the hospital while providing excellent medicine.
“We welcome Dr. Guiney and the osteopathic family medicine residents to our NuHealth family. There is a critical shortage of primary care physicians and by establishing a training program at NUMC and in our health centers, not only do we hope to provide services to improve and maintain the health of medically underserved communities of Nassau County, but also to train physicians who will stay and provide health care in those communities, long after their training is completed,” stated Gianelli. “All efforts to reform health care are based around primary and preventive care to keep patients out of the hospital, and this training program is vital aspect of community outreach since the residents will be training at the Nassau University Medical Center and integrating the program at the family health centers, mostly at the Elmont and at the New Cassel Family Health Centers.”
Steven J. Walerstein, MD, FACP, NuHealth’s executive vice president for medical affairs and medical director, added: “We are excited about the establishment of the new osteopathic family medicine residency program to be based in our hospital and at our family health centers. Family practitioners serve a unique role in the delivery of primary care and can take care of most problems affecting patients from infancy through old age and this way, a family, including mother, child and grand-parent can see the same doctor on the same day and in the same office.”
Martin Diamond, DO, NuHealth’s director of medical education, indicated: “NUMC is very proud to be able to finally have an osteopathic family medicine residency program that will benefit many patients particularly in the communities that need our services. Primary care initiatives are an important aspect of health reform and we look forward to training the next generation of family medicine doctors.”
“It is very exciting to be furthering the mission of providing quality primary care services at NUMC and at the health centers, as well as helping to train the future generation of physicians since residents who train in a certain area, tend to remain in those underserved communities,” said Dr. Guiney. “The focus of our program is to move into the community and provide continuity of care to our ambulatory patients. We will offer a preferable primary care alternative for many of those now utilizing the ER for routine medical attention in a top-notch and compassionate environment. Utilizing sophisticated technology and a highly experienced faculty to maximize the residents’ knowledge base and skills, our fully accredited, challenging and innovative program offers a wide range of clinical expertise to a diverse population suffering from a myriad of medical issues.”
ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life. Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community. By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.
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