Family Medicine Residency Program in Tehachapi

If you live in a remote area or a small town like Tehachapi, you know that finding comprehensive healthcare for you and your family close to home can be challenging. With approximately 20% of the total U.S. population living in rural areas, these communities often lack adequate access to healthcare.

In fact, population studies show that California's Central Valley is particularly underserved. According to the federal government's Council on Graduate Medical Education, 60 to 80 primary care doctors per 100,000 people are necessary to maintain the health of the population. In the San Joaquin Valley, that number is just 39 per 100,000, according to a report from the Future Health Workforce Commission.

Training physicians in rural areas improves access to care, but according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, just 2% of residency training occurs in rural areas. Adventist Health has committed to reducing this care gap - and one of the ways we can accomplish this is by bringing a family medicine residency program to Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley.

"A recent study by the University of California San Francisco shows that medical residents tend to stay in the communities where they completed their residencies," said Raul Ayala, MD, ambulatory medical officer for Adventist Health's Central California Network, where he oversees medical residency programs. "Another national study by the Society of Teachers of Family Residency has shown that 46% of graduates are practicing within 50 miles or their training location and 19% practice within five miles. By bringing residency programs to our small town communities, we can begin to build a strong network of primary care providers right here in Tehachapi and other rural areas across the Central Valley."

Retaining and recruiting physicians for rural and underserved areas is so critical, it has been a top priority of the Biden-Harris administration. In June of this year, Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley was one of just 15 organizations nationwide to receive a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a new rural residency program. These funds will be used to support accreditation costs, curriculum development, faculty recruitment and retention, resident recruitment and more.

"We're excited that HHS and Adventist Health have decided to invest in the future of healthcare in Tehachapi," said Tehachapi Assistant City Manager Corey Costelloe, who oversees economic development, including healthcare. "Since the opening of Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley in 2018, we've already seen the positive economic impact that Adventist Health has brought to Tehachapi. Bringing a medical residency to our area is the natural next step and we want these residents to feel like they are part of our community."

Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley's program is unique because it is already an accredited rural program. Residents will spend one year training at nearby Adventist Health Bakersfield, then spend their second and third years in more remote areas where they will practice community medicine, pediatrics, women's care, substance abuse care and much more. The program, through training, is designed to fit the needs of the communities they will serve.

The development of a residency program in Tehachapi will benefit both the community and our young residents," said K.J. Horowitz, MD, Adventist Health family medicine physician in Tehachapi. "For the community, it means more options for the care they seek right here in their own neighborhoods. The residents will have the opportunity to live and work in a beautiful community where they may someday wish to practice full-time. Family medicine is well-suited to rural areas, as we treat individuals from all walks of life. I could not be happier for our community or more thankful to Adventist Health for developing this program."

Adventist Health Central California Network President Jason Wells adds, "Adventist Health is passionate about bringing exceptional care to our rural and often underserved populations. We are leading the way in rural California, becoming a model for innovative care that is attracting medical residents to serve in our communities. We are excited to help support the residency training of these great physicians right here at home and trust that they will fall in love with all of us and stay for life."

To learn more about the healthcare being provided in the Tehachapi community, visit http://www.AdventistHealthTehachapiValley.org/.