WMCHC Family Medicine Residency Program to begin in July

Honesdale, PA (February 19, 2025) — The Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers Family Medicine Residency Program has earned accreditation from the ACGME, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The program’s first residents will begin their educational journey July 1st. WMCHC is approved for a total of 15 residents.

“This is the beginning of a long-term solution to address shortages in the primary care workforce within the rural and underserved communities we serve,” stated Teresa Lacey, RN, BSN, Chief Executive Officer, WMCHC. “The opportunity to train our own physicians increases the likelihood of them choosing to remain in Wayne and Pike Counties once they’ve completed the program.”

Earning accreditation, which is a two-step process, began in 2023 through efforts of WMCHC’s internal Graduate Medical Educational Committee (GMEC) under the direction of Richard Hacker, MD, FAAFP, Designated Institutional Official (DIO). The committee, tasked with creating various policies, procedures and structural components, submitted documentation in May, 2024 resulting in Sponsoring Institution Accreditation. Once that was achieved, the WMCHC team successfully completed a detailed program application which led to final Program Accreditation in January.

Throughout the three-year program, residents will gain essential hands-on training in outpatient clinical settings under the supervision of seasoned medical professionals. WMCHC sites prepared to welcome residents include: Highland Physicians Family Health Center, Hamlin Family Health Center, Pike Family Health Center, Honesdale Family Health Center and Honesdale Women’s Health Center.

When asked about his inspiration to spearhead the program in 2023, Dr. Hacker choose to quote Sir William Osler, “The Father of Modern Medicine” who once said, “I desire no other epitaph than the statement that I taught medical students in the wards, as I regard this as by far the most useful and important work, I have been called upon to do”.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is an independent, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that sets and monitors voluntary professional educational standards essential in preparing physicians to deliver safe, high-quality medical care to all Americans. Graduate medical education (GME) refers to the period of education in a particular specialty (residency) or subspecialty (fellowship) following medical school; the ACGME oversees the accreditation of residency and fellowship programs in the US.

PHOTO:  Members of WMCHC’s Graduate Medical Educational Committee, seated, left to right, Teresa Lacey, RN, BSN, CEO of WMCHC; Richard Hacker, MD, FAAFP, DIO of program; Joann Howell-Roedel, residency coordinator, WMCHC; Erica Brown, chief development officer, WMCHC. Standing, Kara Poremba, BSN, RN, chief quality officer, WMCHC; Christina MacDowell, CNM, manager of Women’s Health Center; Traceyan Mendez, MD, Pike Family Health Center; Rameez Chaviwala, MD, primary care medical director, WMCHC; James Cruse, MD, chief medical officer, WMCHC; Chandra Roberts, BSN, RN, MHA, chief of patient care services, Wayne Memorial Hospital.