Planning grant to establish a six member rural family medicine residency program

ROCKFORD, IL: August 12, 2022 – theFranaGroup is pleased to announce that Black River Health Services (BRHS) was awarded $489,026 by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for a two-year planning grant through the Teaching Health Center Planning and Development (THCPD) Program.  BRHS along with its partners, Novant Health-New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NH-NHRMC) and its affiliate hospital, Pender Memorial Hospital, the University of North Carolina Medical School in Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), and the SouthEast Area Health Education Center (SEAHEC) will establish a six member/person family medicine residency program in Pender County, North Carolina. BRHS, located in Burgaw, NC, is a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike with three locations and one of 47 organizations to receive the THCPD award.

The THCPD program aims to support the expansion of primary care residency training in rural community-based patient care settings by providing funds to support the development of new programs, which are often located in underserved areas where resources may not easily be attainable.

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) now represent the largest primary practice in the United States. In 2021 they served almost 29 million patients including almost 377,000 Veterans. FQHCs provided primary care to one in nine children, one in three people living in poverty and one in five people living in rural areas.

About theFranaGroup

theFranaGroup clients provided over 2.4 million patient visits to 793,469 patients in 2021 or more than one of 424 persons living in the United States. theFranaGroup, founded in 1999, is a national healthcare consulting firm that provides solutions for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), including a wide array of services tailored to Community Health Center operations and strategy, both before and after funding. With a proven track record of success, theFranaGroup offers a variety of services to achieve and maintain FQHC status including grant writing, strategic planning, management consulting and Board and staff development. The firm has helped clients earn more than $1 billion in direct funding and enhanced billing capabilities.