Scripps Health Gets Six-Figure Grant For Medical Residencies

SAN DIEGO — Physicians for a Healthy California awarded Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego a $360,000 grant to fund a pair of medical residency positions in 2020, Scripps Health announced Tuesday.

The grant will help Scripps Health keep doctors who train in San Diego within the community, according to the organization. Physicians for a Healthy California awarded the grant through its CalMedForce program with funding from a $2 state tax on tobacco that voters approved in 2016.

"They really are the unsung heroes at Scripps, and many of them continue to work in the underserved patient community upon completion of their training," Dr. Paul Han, associate director of Scripps Mercy's residency program, said about previous residents.

Physicians for a Healthy California awarded a total of $38 million in CalMedForce grants to fund residencies in 89 hospitals and clinics across the state. The grant program is an effort to stave off potential doctor shortage in the next decade. According to the California Future Health Workforce Commission, the state could face a 4,100-doctor shortage by 2025.

Scripps Mercy San Diego is the second Scripps Health location to receive a CalMedForce grant this year. Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista received a $225,000 grant to fund a residency position focusing on family medicine, according to the healthcare organization.

"CalMedForce helps grow and strengthen our physician workforce to meet the demands of California's growing and changing patient population," Physicians for a Healthy California President and CEO Lupe Alonzo-Diaz said. "Research also shows that physicians are more likely to practice where they complete residency programs, demonstrating an opportunity to address access to care challenges in underserved communities."

– City News Service