Dr. Mathew says the residency program prepared her well for the future but notes that it was her patients that played the deciding factor in her staying in Schuylkill County. “All of my patients have been kind, supportive and welcoming which made me feel seen and be part of the community.”
Dr. Martinez who will also see patients at the Family Birth and Newborn Center as well as LVPG Obstetrics and Gynecology–Red Horse Road credits the variety of patients she sees in clinical practice with her decision to stay. “My practice offers exposure to a wider variety of procedures and patients than urban areas, where specialties are more common,” she says. “It’s a little surreal, but it feels great. I’m very excited.”
The Walter and Irene Baran Schuylkill Family Medicine Residency is a rurally based 4-4-4 full-spectrum family medicine residency where residents live and work in a rural (but not remote) community, training one-on-one with community physicians and gaining experience as a physician leader.
The residency culture throughout LVHN promotes evidence-informed, relationship-centered learning. The clinical experience emphasizes continuity of outpatient primary care, emergency care, inpatient medicine and obstetrical/maternity care, with the option of selecting a track for additional training in a specific area of interest. Inpatient training takes place at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Schuylkill. Outpatient family medicine encounters occur at the continuity clinic, which serves as the home site, as well as at other clinical practices throughout Schuylkill County. Behavioral health is integrated into the program.
In October 2019, LVH–Schuylkill was awarded a $750,000 federal Health Resources & Services Administration grant to develop the program. The goals were:
- Address health care disparities in rural communities. These areas face decreased access to quality health care with poorer health outcomes than urban counterparts.
- Entice the physicians to provide care in the community. Those who train in rural areas are more likely to stay/practice in a rural area.
As the program grew and developed with added faculty, facilities and resources, it became accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Recruitment for the first class began in the fall of 2021 with the first class of four residents being welcomed in June 2022.
The program was later renamed the Walter and Irene Baran Schuylkill Family Medicine Residency when longtime LVH–Schuylkill board member Tony Baran and his wife Sandy donated funds to honor Tony’s parents, Walter and Irene Baran. The Barans were Schuylkill County natives and community philanthropists who were active in many organizations and supported many causes.
Daniel Pedersen, DO, Program Director and family medicine physician with LVPG Family Medicine–Schuylkill Medical Plaza, congratulated the graduates on a job well done and the attention they have extended to their patients.
Also offering remarks during the graduation were Grant Greenberg, MD, Chair of Family Medicine, LVHN, and Kimberly Infante, Coordinator, Graduate Medical Education.
Prior to receiving their diplomas, the residents honored numerous faculty and support members for their help during the past three years.
