From Adventist Health Ukiah Valley
Five graduates from Adventist Health Ukiah Valley’s Family Residency program were celebrated on Sunday, June 23, by faculty, staff, and nearly 200 attendees during a ceremony at Saracina Vineyards in Hopland.
Dr. Charles Baugh, Dr. Jill Buller, Dr. Claire Denley, Dr. Meghan McCurry and Dr. Danielle Smith spent the last three years learning while caring for patients both at hospitals and clinics in the community and bridging the gap and improving access to primary care in Mendocino County.
The Family Medicine Residency program was created in partnership with the community in 2019 to train physicians interested in rural medicine through hands-on, patient care experience in multiple settings and therapeutic areas. Studies show that physicians often stay and settle where they completed their residency.
Throughout the three-year program, residents completed rotations in family medicine, obstetrics, intensive care, and other specialties such as sports medicine. They also spend time in community clinics including Consolidated Tribal Health and MCHC Health Centers and out in the community caring for our most vulnerable community members through partnerships with Building Bridges and the Mendocino County AIDS and Viral Hepatitis Network (MCAVHN).
“It’s an exciting occasion to honor our third graduation class of residents from the Ukiah Valley Family Medicine Residency program. We look forward to their involvement in our region as they now move into their professional careers,” shares Dr. Roger Woodruff, director of the Family Medicine Residency Program.
“We are deeply grateful for this exceptional group of physicians who have demonstrated unwavering support and dedication to our patients over the past three years. They have shown remarkable resilience and perseverance, joining us during an incredibly challenging time amidst the pandemic. Their impact extends far beyond the patients they have cared for, enriching our entire team, residency program, and community. As they embark on the next stage of their careers as attending physicians, I am confident they will continue to make significant contributions to the field of family medicine. I’m thrilled that some of them will remain in the area and will continue helping improve access to care in our communities,” shared Judson Howe, president for Adventist Health North Coast Service Area.
As part of their program, the residents also embarked on community projects to help improve community health. Dr. McCurry’s project involved collaboration for low-barrier access to addiction treatment and family medicine resident education. Through integrated street medicine and addiction medicine in partnership with MCAVHN, the program successfully treated 101 individual patients in a buprenorphine clinic from July 2021 to July 2022, with 74 patients returning for follow-up visits. Additionally, harm reduction services reached 500 patients, making a significant impact on the community.
Dr. Smith’s initiative focused on developing a comprehensive resource guide to aid primary care physicians and staff in managing the growing mental health needs in the community. The guide encompasses a wide range of topics essential for primary care physicians to understand as well as resources available in the community.
Dr. Baugh found his passion for sports medicine and helped lead residents who volunteered to perform free sports physicals for students participating in school sports. The one-day community outreach is a much-needed and well-received resource by many students and their families. In 2023, 328 physicals were completed, compared to 125 in 2021.
The Farmer’s Market Community Medicine project led by Dr. Buller and Dr. Denley enabled family medicine interns to connect with community members at the Ukiah Farmers Market in the winter and summer. This program helped showcase the offerings of the Family Medicine Residency Clinic and included blood pressure assessments, exercise prescriptions, and healthy recipes inspired by local produce from the farmers’ market.
Dr. Baugh, chief resident, will be continuing on his journey, pursuing a fellowship in sports medicine, which came about due to his time here. “I want to thank the community for giving me the opportunity to take care of them. Thank you for allowing us that time and space to be a part of your lives. It’s really been beneficial over the last three years and I’m going to miss many of my patients that I’ve developed relationships with. This residency and many of my patients also inspired me to find my passion and that’s why I’m pursuing my fellowship in sports medicine.”
He plans to come back and practice in Ukiah after completing his fellowship. Dr. Denley plans to move back home to British Columbia to practice frontier medicine. “It will be sad not to see my team and my patients, but I’m grateful and feel so lucky to have been able to learn alongside this wonderful team and community.”
Dr. McCurry will be staying in the community, joining Consolidated Tribal Health Clinic.
For more information about the Family Medicine services at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley, visit: https://www.adventisthealth.org/ukiah-valley/services/family-medicine