Leaders from nine northwest Indiana health organization signed a letter of intent to create a medical residency consortium to train future physicians based at local hospitals, community health centers and mental health agencies.
The Northwest Indiana Graduate Medical Education Consortium represents the first organization of its kind in northwest Indiana. By signing the document, the nine organizations involved promised to create and allow local medical students the opportunity to apply for residency positions within their organizations. The class of 2019 will likely be the first class of medical students to apply for the roughly 165 residency positions created through the consortium.
Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest-Gary will lead the consortium. Other organizations taking part in the program include Munster-based The Community Healthcare System, Gary-based Methodist Hospitals, Valparaiso-based Porter Health Care System, La Porte (Ind.) Hospital as well as two federally qualified health centers and three mental health centers.
"The formation of residency programs would complete the medical education continuum for our region," said Patrick Bankston, PhD, associate dean and director for IUSM-NW-G. "The long-term goal would be to increase the quality of care in the region, allowing our patients to seek care here rather than in Chicago or Indianapolis, providing a flow of excellent doctors to practice here to help with our physician shortage."