Residents in the Three Sisters Rural Track Program (RTP) are helping fill a need in the community by providing care for up to 900 patients a year in local primary care clinics and at St. Charles Madras. Drs. Ben Khalil and Callie Krewson are the first two residents to participate in the program, which is sponsored by Oregon Health & Science University and is the first graduate medical education program in Central Oregon.
“It’s thrilling to see these doctors caring for community members. We have been planning and eagerly awaiting this moment for many years and now it’s here,” said Dr. Jinnell Lewis, RTP director and St. Charles family doctor. “This program is helping us to develop and train providers who will specialize in rural family medicine and also helps us fill a shortage of primary care doctors in the region.”
Residents spend the first year of the program completing advanced training at OHSU before spending two years training and caring for patients in Jefferson County with a focus on rural family medicine. Khalil is caring for patients at Mosaic Community Health, while Krewson is caring for patients at St. Charles Family Clinic in Madras. Both doctors conduct rotations at the hospital and with area specialists where they train in family medicine, family birthing, emergency medicine, behavioral health and hospital medicine. They will also have learning opportunities at the Indian Health Services’ Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center.
“Drs. Krewson and Khalil have hit the ground running and are already enhancing the care of patients in our region,” said Dr. Katie Snyder, clinical medical director for Mosaic’s Madras Health Center and residency program teaching physician. “I look forward to continuing to partner with this critical program and train physicians locally to benefit our community for years to come.”
Research has shown that about 55% of physicians stay within a 100-mile radius of their residency site. This means, within 10 years, Three Sisters RTP is estimated to produce more than 20 physicians who would reside in Central Oregon and provide care for 20,000 to 40,000 patients in the region.
Learn more about Three Sisters RTP.
