VCOM 2023 Annual Report

Wythe-Bland Foundation Partnership Helps Ensure Access to Healthcare

T he best tool that VCOM has in recruiting students is the promise of scholarships and grants to help offset tuition and reduce student loan debt. In 2018, VCOM-Virginia partnered with the Wythe-Bland Foundation to establish the VCOM Physician Educator Retention Program with a $315,000 grant. The grant, which has recently been renewed, provides an incentive to VCOM graduates who establish a full-time practice in either Wythe or Bland Counties in Virginia. The grant is worth up to $105,000, and the funds are paid to each physician in three installments of $35,000 over three years. As physician educators, those who accept the funds are required to serve as preceptors for VCOM medical students and participate in VCOM community outreach activities that promote healthy behaviors and introduce area students to health professions. Travis Jackson, executive director and CEO of the Wythe-Bland Foundation said, “We want this region to be one of the best places to live and work in the United States, and a

high-quality medical work force is an essential part of that effort. We’re very impressed with the caliber of VCOM graduates and look forward to working with the College to attract new physicians to practice in the area.” Vicki Parks, the CEO of the Wythe County Community Hospital, notes that people in small towns sometimes must drive more than an hour to find care, and she wants to make sure that the citizens of Wythe County are able to find excellent physicians closer to home. Although there are challenges to recruiting physicians to communities like Wythe and Bland Counties, there are benefits to providing care in rural areas. Rural physicians are key members of the communities they serve, and they really get to know their patients. Parks and Jackson say they want more practices like Chase King’s. Chase King, DO, graduated from VCOM-Virginia in 2016, prior to the establishment of the VCOM Physician Educator Retention Program. Even so, he’s a

“This program is changing the community, and the physicians who are here to make a difference are going to do well.”

Travis Jackson Executive Director, CEO Wythe-Bland Foundation

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