UAMS Dr. Cam Chancellor, left, and UAMS Health CEO Brian Jones, center, accept a donation from the SHARE Foundation of El Dorado and its board chair Steve Cousins.
The nonprofit SHARE Foundation of El Dorado has pledged $1.5 million to help UAMS establish a family medicine residency program in the city.
The regional campus will be UAMS’ ninth. It’s part of a joint effort with the Medical Center of South Arkansas to expand medical access in the region by training primary care physicians in Union County.
Dr. Richard Turnage, UAMS vice chancellor for Regional Campuses, said in a news release that the El Dorado campus will help create a sustainable educational and training pipeline. It will also make it easier to maintain consistent levels of care in Union County.
“We know that many physicians choose to practice where they received their residency training, which is one reason UAMS is so committed to our Regional Campuses and our rural residency programs,” he said. “These programs make a real difference in improving health care access throughout the state.”
Steve Cousins, chair of the SHARE Foundation’s board of directors, believes the donation is a first step toward making UAMS a long-term presence in the community.
“The investment was made to bring doctors and their families here for medical training, economically provide more jobs for our area and ultimately help produce physicians who will live and practice in El Dorado,” he said in the release.
The foundation was founded in 1996 with the goal of bringing programs and services to El Dorado that advance the health of well-being of people in the area.
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