Groundbreaking nearing on Phoebe medical student housing complex

ALBANY — Dr. George Fredrick, program director of Phoebe Family Medicine Residency, formerly Southwest Georgia Family Medicine Residency, gave an update Wednesday on the program, including a resident complement increase, a program in Colquitt and the medical student housing project that will break ground next week.

The residency program gained its new name with Phoebe’s rebrand in February. Fredrick told the Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Board of Directors that other recent changes to the program have included a complement increase from five physicians a year to eight a year, which means it has been approved for up to 24 residents.

Fredrick said a rural track program was approved last year at Colquitt Regional Medical Center. Three matched residents will be doing several rotations at Phoebe before spending their last two years at Colquitt. Dr. Kirby Smith is heading up the Moultrie program, which is being called Georgia South Family Medicine Residency and starts July 1.

Fredrick made note of a new second-year resident in Albany, Dr. Kim Ann Dang, and of the average 93 percent pass rate for first-time board test takers.

The new six recruits who will make up the Phoebe program’s 2019 class were also mentioned by Fredrick on Wednesday. They are Drs. Stephen Daniel, Laura DeSimone, Theresa Kowalski, Maria Kyriacou, Joseph Mariano and Serena Miller. In the 2015 class, four out of the six opted to stay in the Albany area.

Meanwhile, a campaign as been ongoing in recent months to raise $3.8 million of the $5 million needed for the medical student housing complex set to be built at 225 W. Fourth Ave. A groundbreaking on the facility is set for 11 a.m. Tuesday.

The campaign kicked of fwith a $1 million lead gift from the Richard K. Mellon Foundation and later generated support from corporations, small businesses, Phoebe employees and volunteers. Officials say the complex will break down a significant barrier in bringing medical students to Southwest Georgia. The anticipation is that many of those students will decide to stay in the region, helping close the gap on a looming physician shortage.

“If we can provide safe, affordable housing, it makes it so much easier,” Fredrick said.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is expected to be among those who attend Tuesday, Phoebe Putney Health System CEO Joel Wernick said.

In other business, Phoebe Chief Operating Officer Joe Austin reported on the progress of some renovations to an oncology floor, the second phase of which is expected to be completed by the end of June. Laura Shearer, senior vice president of patient care services at Phoebe, also gave an update on the hospital’s community care clinic, which is currently seeing an average of 40 patients a day and is, in most cases, getting patients out the door within 70 minutes of arrival.

Dr. Jay McAfee with Radiation Oncology Associates reported to the board that the first patient was seen on one of its new linear accelerator machines Wednesday morning, and that its new high-dynamic range imaging system is also now online. Both are a means, officials have said, to keep more Southwest Georgia cancer patients at home for their treatments.

“We are on par with anything in the country at this point,” he said.