Mercy Health adding doctors, expanding graduate medical education training
Fifty doctors in residency are headed to Youngstown’s Mercy Health hospitals to assist and continue their education as part of the Graduate Medical Education program.
Their specialties range from emergency medicine and surgery to general dentistry and pharmacy.
What is the GME program?
The 50 incoming physician residents were placed in 10 residency programs and two fellowship programs, including the surgical residency program in the hospital for more than 100 years.
Dr. Jim Kravec, Chief Clinical Officer for Mercy Health - Youngstown, explained how the program is about being at “the forefront of modern medical education,” providing hands-on training and experience in hospital environments.
“Mercy Health is focused on building a GME program...that ensures the people of the Mahoning Valley have access to high-quality health care, which starts with educating residents we hope will stay in the Valley. We are excited to welcome these new physicians to the Youngstown community and grow the number of doctors we have to treat our patients,” said Dr. Kravec.
Expanding to rural communities
Mercy Health’s GME program is also expanding to Columbiana County at Columbiana Primary Care as part of increasing access to health care in rural communities.
Columbiana native Dr. Alex Heintzelman will lead the Columbiana County side of the GME program alongside Dr. Thomas Macabobby.
“Rural health care was always my calling and I’m excited to train the next generation in my hometown,” said Dr. Heintzelman. “Research in rural medicine training shows us that doctors who are trained in rural settings are more likely to stay, and we know access to care close to home can significantly impact health outcomes for patients. There’s no question that in order to grow access to care, we need doctors first. This pathway is a valuable addition to our GME program and will benefit our rural communities immensely.”
According to Dr. Macabobby, a significant focus of the program will be “meeting the needs identified in the Columbiana Community Health Needs Assessment,” as outlined here.
Earlier this month, Mercy Health announced new walk-in care at Mercy Health – East Palestine Primary Care and the launch of virtual specialty care sites at the East Palestine Primary Care and the Sebring Primary Care.
“Mercy Health – Youngstown is committed to providing access to high-quality, compassionate health care and training the next generation of physicians to do the same,” said Dr. Kravec.
Learn more about residency programs here.
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