Indiana Health Centers lands federal grant for residency program

The federal Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded a $500,000 grant to Indiana Health Centers Inc. The funding will be used to establish a new medical residency program in family medicine in partnership with Marian University in Indianapolis.

The IHC, which is based in Indianapolis and operates 10 health centers in eight Indiana counties, is one of 28 organizations to receive the Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Program funding.

The organization said the new residency program is designed to address the shortage of physicians in rural Indiana communities “where many individuals face challenges as it relates to their rural status.”

The family medicine program will be developed and implemented through the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“Many of our graduates choose to practice in primary care specialties,” Dr. Amanda Wright, dean of the MU College of Osteopathic Medicine. “A partnership with the Indiana Health Centers to create residency training programs that will provide care to the underserved areas of Indiana makes us all stronger.”

The IHC said participants in the family medicine residency program will spend at least 50% of their time training at IHC clinics with the opportunity to spend the remainder of their training at various rural hospitals.

The organization did not specify when the residency program would begin.

Based in Indianapolis, Indiana Health Centers Inc. is a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides medical, dental and behavioral health care to all who seek care, regardless of their ability to pay. The organization has clinics in Bedford, South Bend, Jackson County, Kokomo, Logansport, Marion, Owen County, and Peru.