What is a Teaching Health Center?
Teaching Health Centers like The Wright Center are the solution to the crisis facing primary care in the United States. Across the nation, fewer and fewer medical school graduates are pursuing careers in primary care – just as many working primary care providers are planning to retire. Teaching Health Centers aim to ensure a viable primary care workforce for low-income communities by providing training at federally qualified health centers and similar sites.
Research shows that residents who train in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and Look-Alikes are more likely to practice in medically underserved areas – and to feel more prepared to do so.
Many Teaching Health Centers, The Wright Center included, receive federal funding to support our activities through HRSA’s Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (GME) program. This funding source is essential for the continuation of many Teaching Health Centers programs.
Here are five fast facts about the Teaching Health Center program:
- 732 residents train in 57 HRSA-supported Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education programs
- 63% of Teaching Health Center residents specialize in family medicine
- Teaching Health Center programs are located in 27 states and the District of Columbia
- Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education programs received more than 100 applications for each residency position
- Teaching Health Center residents will provide more than 1 million primary care medical visits this year
We are proud that an overwhelming amount of our graduates choose to practice in underserved areas like Northeast Pennsylvania in the relentless pursuit of our mission to improve the health and welfare of our community through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.
