Federal Grant Award Summary

The Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program (RBFMRP), sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, received a $160,674 Project Grant award on March 1, 2026, under the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Payment Program (CFDA 93.530) administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This expansion award supports the continuation and growth of primary care medical residency training at the East Niles Community Health Center in Bakersfield, California, with a performance period through June 30, 2029. The program delivers comprehensive family medicine training to residents who provide direct patient care to medically underserved populations across health professional shortage areas and medically underserved areas in Kern and Fresno Counties.

The RBFMRP delivers community-based primary care residency training that generates substantial clinical services while developing the healthcare workforce. In the prior academic year alone, residents provided over 13,000 patient visits to a predominantly Latino patient population, including migrant farmworkers, homeless individuals, and low-income residents, with over 70% of patients covered by Medi-Cal and an additional 5-10% uninsured. Since its founding in 2014, the program has graduated 55 residents, with 33 remaining in the region and 10 employed by Clinica Sierra Vista, significantly strengthening primary care capacity in the region. The award supports the program's mission of training physicians committed to serving vulnerable and underserved communities through continuity-based patient care delivery.