Little Rock, Arkansas – The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a $750,000 federal grant to reinstate a family medicine residency program in El Dorado. This grant, awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is part of an $11 million initiative aimed at launching medical residency programs in rural areas across the United States. UAMS is one of only 15 organizations nationwide to be selected for this funding.
Addressing Rural Health Care Needs
The grant will be utilized for curriculum development, recruitment and training of faculty and staff, and other essential costs to achieve accreditation and ensure the program’s sustainability. Dr. Donya Watson, an associate professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, emphasized the importance of this program for addressing the workforce shortages faced by rural areas in Arkansas. “The establishment of a family medicine residency program in El Dorado will provide a framework to help address the workforce shortage that rural areas across Arkansas are facing,” Watson said. “We would like to recruit and train graduates from Arkansas medical schools who will hopefully stay in Arkansas to practice.”
Improving Access to Health Care
The primary goal of the El Dorado residency program is to improve and expand access to health care in rural areas while bolstering the physician workforce in underserved communities in south Arkansas. This program, a partnership between UAMS and South Arkansas Regional Hospital, will establish a rural track family medicine program with a focus on maternal health and obstetrics.
Dr. Watson will serve as the program director, marking a significant personal milestone. “For me personally, as a graduate of the program here in 1997, I am very excited about the opportunity to help train the next generation of the health care workforce for El Dorado and south Arkansas,” she remarked.
Path to Accreditation and Training
The program aims to gain accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education by 2025 and plans to enroll its first residents in the summer of 2026. The residency will include training stints at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, but the majority of the training will take place in El Dorado and other rural clinical settings in south Arkansas.
Reestablishing a Regional Campus
Relaunching the residency program is part of UAMS’s broader effort to reestablish a regional campus in El Dorado. Earlier this year, UAMS opened the UAMS Health Family Medical Center in El Dorado, marking another significant step in this process. Once established, the El Dorado location will be UAMS’s ninth regional campus, contributing to a steady influx of physicians and health care professionals in Union County. Richard Turnage, M.D., vice chancellor of UAMS Regional Campuses, highlighted the long-term impact of the program: “Studies show that many physicians choose to practice within 100 miles of where they received their residency training, which is one reason UAMS is so committed to our Regional Campuses and our rural residency programs. These programs make a real difference in improving health care access throughout the state.”
A Tradition of Rural Training
Most family practice physicians currently working in rural Arkansas were trained at one of UAMS’s regional campuses. Originally known as Area Health Education Centers (AHECs), these campuses were created in 1973 through the efforts of then-Gov. Dale Bumpers, the Arkansas Legislature, and UAMS. The aim was to train medical residents and provide clinical care and health education services throughout the state. UAMS’s existing regional campuses are located in Batesville, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Helena-West Helena, Jonesboro, Magnolia, Pine Bluff, and Texarkana.
With the reestablishment of the El Dorado residency program, UAMS continues its mission to enhance health care access and quality across Arkansas, ensuring that rural communities receive the medical care and support they need.
