The Family Medicine Residency Program hosted by Owensboro Health and the University of Louisville has earned accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Accreditation is a major milestone for the program, which is expected to welcome its first class of physicians in July 2020.
“The vision for this program is to bring outstanding physicians to this region and give them the right foundation to start their healthcare careers,” said Greg Strahan, president and CEO of Owensboro Health. “This achievement demonstrates that we are in excellent position to deliver on that vision and improve healthcare in Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana.”
The residency program will be run jointly by Owensboro Health and the University of Louisville and will have 18 total residents. The program was announced last September, and officials began the accreditation process earlier this year.
“Accreditation ensures that physicians who choose our residency program can count on an excellent educational experience,” said Dr. Francis DuFrayne, chief medical officer of Owensboro Health. “Our goal is to deliver quality in every component of the program, from the size of our classrooms to the experience of our faculty members.”
The residency is housed at Owensboro Health’s Parrish Avenue campus and its faculty are already offering healthcare services to the public, including primary care, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral health and minor office surgery, said program director Jon Sivoravong, DO. The program’s core
faculty includes:
- Dr. Jon Sivoravong – FAAFP, associate professor with the University of Louisville School of Medicine’s Family & Geriatric Medicine Department
- Darby Cole, MD – Owensboro Health Medical Group – Family Medicine (Beaver Dam)
- Jody Mitchell, MD – Owensboro Health Medical Group – Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
- Stephanie Hayden, MD – Owensboro Health Medical Group – Children’s Center
- Shirl Nafziger-Lyne, MSW, LCSW – Owensboro Health Medical Group – Behavioral Services
- Zack Ward, EdD – Owensboro Health Medical Education Coordinator
Additional faculty will consist of volunteers from the Owensboro Health medical staff and other physicians in the Owensboro area.
“I think residents will love what Owensboro Health has to offer: A first-class facility and a very good community to live in and build a practice,” Dr. Sivoravong said. “It’s an opportunity that will be extremely attractive to residents who want a unique experience.”
Steve Johnson, vice president of government and community affairs at Owensboro Health, said having this accreditation positions Owensboro Health as a regional and statewide leader in training the next generation of physicians.
“We have outstanding partnerships with medical schools across Kentucky and outside of our state, and this program opens the door to grow those relationships,” Johnson said. “Nearly half of the doctors who complete a residency program end up practicing within 50 miles of that program, so we are optimistic that many great physicians will end up calling Western Kentucky home.”
Johnson also emphasized the significant economic impact the program is expected to have on Daviess County and the surrounding area, citing numbers from a 2014 report sponsored by the American Medical Association:
- A single physician supports a per-capita economic output of $2.2 million per year.
- On average, each physician supports about 14 jobs.
- On average, a single physician supports a total of $1.1 million in wages and benefits.
The residency program is the latest milestone in the redevelopment of the Parrish Avenue campus, which was home to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital until 2013, when the system opened a new hospital on Owensboro’s east side. The system has also remodeled the campus, added family medicine and other services, and is currently renovating the Owensboro Health Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.
