Project Grant P1355804

The Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professionals awarded Princeton Community Hospital Association, Inc. $750,000 on August 1, 2026, under the Rural Health Research Centers program (CFDA 93.155) to develop a new ACGME-accredited Family Medicine residency program serving eight rural Appalachian counties in southern West Virginia and southwest Virginia.

The proposed 12-resident (4-4-4) Family Medicine residency program will be sponsored by WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital in Princeton, West Virginia, and will serve Mercer, McDowell, Monroe, Summers, and Wyoming Counties in West Virginia and Bland, Giles, and Tazewell Counties in Virginia—a service area of approximately 180,806 residents characterized by primary care physician shortages, an aging population, high chronic disease rates, and limited access to graduate medical education. Expected ACGME sponsoring institution accreditation is January 2027, with Family Medicine program accreditation expected in July 2028 and first resident matriculation in July 2029. The sponsoring institution code is 550064 (pending accreditation).

The project period runs August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2029. The recipient proposes to sustain the program through Medicare Direct Graduate Medical Education (DGME), Indirect Medical Education (IME), and ongoing institutional support. No prior HRSA award to this applicant is known.