Foundation awards Novant Health $1.5 million for new rural physician training program

BURGAW, N.C. (WECT) - Novant Health has been awarded $1.5 million in funding from The Golden LEAF Foundation to boost rural medicine in Pender County.

With the funding, Novant Health Pender Medical Center and Black River Health Services in Burgaw will be able to expand access to care through a new rural physician training program.

The program is “all part of a vision established roughly two years ago between Black River Health Services, UNC School of Medicine, Novant Health and Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center to offer the best opportunity to leverage skills, scale and resources to achieve and maintain accreditation for a sustainable track that trains future family physicians with a passion for rural medicine,” according to a Novant news release.

The first trainees are expected to begin the program in July 2024.

“The training of primary care physicians is a priority because there is data to demonstrate those who train in rural settings seek practice opportunities in similar rural settings afterward, so our goal is to keep them in Pender County,” said Ruth Glaser, president and chief operating officer of Novant Health Pender Medical Center. “Everyone deserves access to high-quality healthcare regardless of where they live, so we’re thankful for the Golden LEAF Foundation’s support of our vision, and we’re thankful for our partners, who understand there is no time to spare in preparing for the future growth of our community.”

Shelbourn Stevens, president of Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center and the Novant Health Coastal region, says the grant and program show that Novant Health “is delivering on its promise to provide greater access to care for the community.”

“Receiving this sizable grant demonstrates that Novant Health is committed to seeing this training program succeed, so the area is able to recruit, train and retain skilled healthcare professionals devoted to Pender County and beyond,” Stevens said.

More than 30 jobs will be created as a result of the project.

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