Cindy Siler, CEO, attended the 21st Annual Rural Health Policy Institute, which provided the opportunity to meet with key congressional members, members of the Obama Administration, and national health care experts, including Dr. Mary Wakefield (Administrator, HRSA) and Jonathan Blum (Director of CMS Center for Medicare Management).

In October 2009, Reid B. Blackwelder, M.D., FAAFP, a family physician in Kingsport, Tennessee (far right in photo), was appointed by the AAFP Congress of Delegates to the board of directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians, which represents more than 94,600 physicians and medical students nationwide. He will serve a three-year term, during which he will advocate on behalf of family physicians and patients nationwide to inspire positive change in the U.S. health care system. He also serves as residency program director of East Tennessee State University Family Physicians of Kingsport and as professor of family medicine at ETSU Quillen College of Medicine. (more)

TRP’s CEO, Cindy Siler, attended HRSA’s Summit on the Future of Primary Care in Rural and Urban America August 10-12 in Washington DC.  The meeting brought together our nation’s health care leaders to exchange ideas in addressing current and predicted issues on primary care provider workforce. (more)

On September 24, more than 70 attendees, from 32 states and Australia, at the National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network’s (3RNet) 14th annual conference in Albuquerque contemplated the depth of those words from Jerry Harrison, Ph.D., executive director of New Mexico Health Resources (NMHR).  Harrison leads New Mexico’s healthcare provider recruitment and retention efforts.  NMHR placed 69 physicians, dentists, and clinicians during fiscal year 2009.  (more)

Jackie Cavnar and Susan Kronk attended the 2009 Family Medicine Residents and Students National Conference, sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians, in Kansas City, Missouri. Residents and faculty attended from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) division of family medicine, and the University of Tennessee (UT) departments of family medicine from Chattanooga (Erlanger), Jackson, Knoxville, and Memphis (St. Francis) to promote their residency programs to medical students from across the United States. Twelve medical students from Meharry Medical College attended. Additionally, Dr. Lee Carter and Cathy Dyer from the Tennessee chapter of the Academy of Family Physicians (TAFP) exhibited at the conference. (more)

The Tennessee Primary Care Association and Community Health Network are teaming up with UnitedHealth Group/ AmeriChoice to showcase telehealth technology across the state. AmeriChoice has a mobile telehealth unit that they will be bringing to three sites in Tennessee and demonstrating the technology. State Commissioners, local officials, state and federal elected officials have all been invited in addition to the media. (more)