Teaching health center (THC) graduate medical education (GME) payment program - 1. Name of the training program - EL RIO health family medicine residency program 2. Discipline of the residency program…

The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professionals awarded El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center Inc. (doing business as El Rio Health) $1,708,464 on March 1, 2026, under the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Payment Program (CFDA 93.530) to support graduate medical education training.

El Rio Health operates the El Rio Health Family Medicine Residency Program, a newly accredited primary care residency training program serving underserved communities in Tucson, Arizona. The program received initial ACGME accreditation on February 9, 2024, and began training residents in July 2025. El Rio Health clinics serve as the primary training location, with additional clinical rotation sites operating under letters of agreement. The program integrates clinical excellence, research, advocacy, and community engagement to address primary care health needs of medically underserved populations, with emphasis on mental health equity and culturally competent care.

The award runs through June 30, 2029, with place of performance in Tucson, Arizona. El Rio Health is a federally qualified health center operating 14 locations across Pima County and operates as both the ACGME-accredited sponsoring institution and the health center where residency continuity practice occurs.

The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Payment Program expands primary care medical and dental residency training programs in community-based ambulatory care settings. Awards are based on annual assessment of residency FTE slots and include a reconciliation process at the end of each budget period through which overpayments may be recouped or underpayments adjusted based on resident FTE counts reported by the teaching health center.

Teaching health center (THC) graduate medical education (GME) payment program - 1. Name of the training program - EL RIO health family medicine residency program 2. Discipline of the residency program - family medicine 3. Type of application - new or continuation - new 4. Eligible entity type - federally qualified health center. EL RIO health obtained sponsoring institution (SI) accreditation from acgme on july 1, 2022, and will serve as both the SI and the health center (HC) where the residency continuity practice will be located. 5. Year program first began training residents - estimated july 2025 6. Organization website address: https://elrio.ORG/careers/teaching-health-center/familymedicineresidency/ 7. A brief overview of the residency program that includes the name of the accredited sponsoring institution and description of the main primary care training location including populations served. The EL RIO health family medicine residency program received initial acgme accreditation february 9, 2024. EL RIO health obtained sponsoring institution (SI) accreditation from acgme on july 1, 2022. EL RIO clinics will be the primary training location; program letters of agreement (PLAS) have been signed for other clinical rotation sites. The family medicine residency program at EL RIO health strives to provide a comprehensive educational experience that integrates clinical excellence, research, advocacy, and community engagement to address the primary care health needs of underserved communities. Our program aims to produce family medicine clinicians who are committed to providing high-quality patient care, advancing the field through research and scholarly activity, and promoting mental health equity. As an fqhc, we are committed to providing high-quality, culturally competent care to all our patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Our program's mission aligns with the larger mission of EL RIO health, which is to improve the health and well-being of our community through access to affordable, comprehensive, and quality healthcare. The family medicine residency program hopes to train physicians who will promote the advancement of high-value care through scholarly work and lifelong learning and serve as future leaders in the field of family medicine. During their 3 years of training, residents will train in family and community medicine, geriatrics, dermatology, clinical pharmacology and nutrition, emergency medicine (ADULT), ADULT medicine, critical care medicine (ADULT), street medicine, refugee health, substance use disorders and addiction medicine, pediatrics (ambulatory and newborn nursery), general surgery (INPATIENT), OB/GYN, and other modalities. 8. Total FTE positions requested to be funded under this program for all post-graduate years of training. 24 (4-4-4) - 4 residents per class across 3 years of training. 9. FTE positions requested to be funded under this program for the first AY of funding (AY 2025-2026) - 4-0-0 10. Rotation sites: state if residents within the applicant residency program will perform rotations at a hospital rotation site(S) that has not provided resident training in any prior AY. The residents will perform rotations at tucson medical center. TMC has provided residency rotations to other learners, but not for this residency program.