Washington trip highlights resident’s advocacy month

By Danielle Rayel, MD, MPH

I had the opportunity to visit Washington, DC, to advocate for the reauthorization of funding for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program. This program is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and has received strong bipartisan support. It is a unique program that trains residents primarily in community-based settings instead of hospitals and aims to address the primary care workforce shortage and prepare physicians to work in rural and urban underserved communities. Authority Health is the second largest Teaching Health Center with four residency programs in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and psychiatry.

I was drawn to Authority Health because the mission and vision to assure access to care and apply the principles of community and population health to reduce health disparities aligned with my career goals to improve access to health care and integrate clinical medicine with public health. We envision all people living healthy lives within healthy communities. I am dedicated to promoting health, preventing disease, and reducing the need for hospitalization. As a family medicine resident committed to prevention, health starts in the communities where people live and work.

The THCGME program and its innovative community-based model supports my training. I love being immersed in my community. At my continuity clinic in Detroit, I work with people from all walks of life, from infants to older adults, and needs ranging from behavioral health to women’s health. In my program, I receive training in community medicine and population health and have the opportunity to complete an advocacy elective. Authority Health has many events that allow me an opportunity to engage with the community, such as school health fairs and a community demonstration kitchen. These resources provide a broad perspective of health that includes community involvement, social determinants of health, population health, and health policy. It instills a commitment to underserved communities and prepares me to take care of people with complex needs.

Teaching Health Centers are challenged and stressed by uncertain funding and the need to keep reauthorizing the program. This instability makes it difficult to recruit and train the people we desperately need to serve in our communities and open and sustain these community-based programs. Our goal in our Washington visit was to advocate for multi-year reauthorization and increase annual funding. It was a pleasure meeting with U.S. Senators and Congress members, as well as their health staff representing Michigan and having positive and supportive discussions with them. Now, let us urge Congress to act on passing legislation. Our primary care workforce, patients, and communities need it.

Dr. Danielle Rayel is a Family Medicine resident at Authority Health who participated in an advocacy rotation.