Denver Health Focuses on Primary Care Training in Underserved Areas
Recruiting and retaining skilled health care professionals to meet projected demands is a challenge everywhere, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Backed by a second grant from the state of Colorado, Denver Community Health Services is poised to expand its Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program, the first of its kind in Colorado. The program aims to expand the primary care workforce in rural and underserved areas by training providers in community-based outpatient settings.
An initial grant allowed Denver Health to welcome its first class of four family medicine residents in July 2024. With the new funding, the program will expand to include eight more residents, enhancing the training opportunities and addressing the health care needs of Denver’s underserved communities.
Since its inception in 2010, the program has trained more than 2,000 primary care physicians and dentists, many of whom continue to work in community settings.