Employees and supporters of the Tahoe Forest Health System gathered  in Olympic Village to celebrate the launch of the hospital’s Rural-PRIME initiative.

 

            The initiative partners Tahoe Forest, again with the University of California, Davis, training third and fifth year medical students to work with medically under-served populations in rural communities to improve access and reduce disparities in health care. 

 

                                                    Lake Dulzura

 

 

            It’s one of the multiple partnerships with UC Davis, including the Cancer Care Network, which brings urban cancer care to Truckee, and the Tahoe Forest’s designation as an Institute of Rural Health Research.

 

            As a part of the Rural-PRIME program, medical students from UC Davis complete their training at Tahoe Forest rather than urban hospitals.  The result, according to officials, is more involvement with procedures and the real-world challenge for doctors who don’t have a legion of specialists at their disposal as medical students at university health centers do.

 

            “Increasing the number of primary care physicians who plan to practice in rural areas and using telemedicine connections to offer access to specialty care are two ways that UC Davis is working to address the health-care needs of residents living beyond major urban areas,” said Thomas Nesbitt, UC Davis Vice Chancellor for Strategic Alliances and Partnerships and a national leader in rural health.  “Tahoe Forest Health System has been redesigning the way health-care services are delivered in a rural community and it offers an excellent learning experience for our students.”

 

            According to a UC Davis press release, rural communities often lack a full spectrum of medical services urban areas enjoy.  In California, 20 percent of the population lives in rural communities, but only 9 percent of physicians practice in these areas.

 

            Liz Benowetz and Jake Becker were two UC Davis students were in attendance at the welcome Bar BQ hosted by Fred and Barbara Ilfeld.  UC Davis is training the students in OBGYN, pediatric and primary care.