Holy Name receives $3.3M from omnibus bill for residency program (updated)

Holy Name Medical Center will receive a $3.3 million appropriation to launch a new residency program aimed at addressing a critical shortage of physicians, as part of the omnibus spending bill set to be signed by President Joseph Biden.

Through the new Graduate Medical Education Program, the Teaneck hospital intends to train 90 doctors per year in clinical specialties including Internal Medicine, psychiatry, general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, nephrology and palliative care.

Holy Name says the funding will be used to renovate an 8,400-square-foot-space and purchase equipment needed to launch the new residency program.

The announcement comes as the Garden State deals with a physician shortage — one the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) predicts will leave New Jersey among 37 states with a primary care doctor shortage, in addition to being one of a dozen with a shortfall of at least 1,000 physicians by 2025.

Michael Maron, president and CEO of Holy Name, said in a press release that there is nothing more important in health care right now than strengthening the future workforce. He credited the state’s congressional delegation for securing the funding for this much-needed new training program, especially the efforts of Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez.

“No one fought harder than Sen. Menendez to ensure adequate funding to launch a new Graduate Medical Education program, training 90 new physicians here at Holy Name each year,” said Maron. “With New Jersey’s physician workforce facing significant pandemic-related retirements, this will be an important game-changer.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 2:40 p.m. EDT on Dec. 28, 2022, to add to Michael Maron’s quote.