29
COM Outlook . Spring 2015
“This will increase CHI’s visibility in
the health care community and im-
prove our ability to recruit primary
care clinicians over the next decade,”
said St. Anthony Amofah, M.D., who
serves as CHI’s chief medical officer
and chief academic officer.
A residency at CHI is very valu-
able because it exposes the residents
to culturally diverse populations and
allows them to become advocates for
underserved populations. “Because
of the diverse population, we have
a wide variety of clinical pathology
that provides invaluable experience
for physicians,” said Susan Manella,
D.O., director of medical education
and the family practice program.
“They are getting hands-on experi-
ence with diagnosing, treating, and
maintaining the health care needs
of patients who could otherwise not
afford to do so.”
Community Health of South
Florida has 10 health centers and
42 school-based centers. It offers a
comprehensive approach to care as
many of its health centers provide a
variety of services such as primary
care, pediatrics, dental, obstetrics
and gynecology, behavioral health, a
24-hour inpatient crisis intervention
facility, urgent care, pharmacy, labo-
ratory services, and transportation.
CHI’s graduate medical educa-
tion programs provide first-rate and
advanced educational opportunities
for emerging physicians. Unique
components of the residency pro-
gram curriculum include the inte-
gration of new and emerging topic
areas that incorporate instruction
in medical ethics, medical genom-
ics, medical informatics, all-hazards
preparedness, cultural sensitivity,
and patient literacy. These programs
also offer advanced education of the
highest quality, combining teach-
ing, clinical service, safe patient
care, and research and facilitate the
residents’ ethical, professional, and
personal development.
Upon program completion, resi-
dents will be capable of providing
comprehensive and compassionate
patient-centered care in the context
of family and community. Accord-
ing to the Health Resources and Ser-
vices Administration, studies show
that residents who graduate from
community health centers tend to
choose to practice in health centers
and in other comparable settings
that serve underserved minorities
and high-risk populations.
“Our goal is to have well-rounded
family physicians, psychiatrists, and
obstetricians once they graduate from
here,” said Elizabeth Philippe, M.D.,
chief of family medicine and GME as-
sociate director. “We hope we’ll have
a good retention rate for residents to
continue working at CHI.”
The Brodes H. Hartley Jr. Teaching
Health Center at CHI provides resi-
dents a community-based and real-
life setting. Residents witness benefi-
cial partnerships in the community
such as HIV/AIDS and school-based
programs as well as have an oppor-
tunity to conduct public health-based
research. This type of academic envi-
ronment encourages evidence-based
exemplary practice. The academic
affiliation enhances the health center’s
image with the patient and encour-
ages retention, which reinforces the
provider-patient relationship.
Medical graduates practicing in
a community health center will be
exposed to a wide variety of patients
as well as learn innovative models
of patient-centered medical homes
with interdisciplinary, team-based
care. In addition, residents will learn
the challenges of working with non-
compliant patients, patients who
seek treatment late, and the unin-
sured who need help finding fund-
ing for necessary surgeries or having
providers act as advocates on their
behalf for more specialized care.
At The Brodes H. Hartley Jr.
Teaching Health Center, residents
will be able to work hard and learn
from an acclaimed group of faculty
members while they work in a bus-
tling environment.
DOCTORAL DISCUSSION:
Conferring about a case are OB-GYN residents Raina Armbruster, D.O.,
Katherine Jones, D.O., Michael Tonsor, D.O., and Hilary Gerber, D.O. (chief resident).
