Holy Name received a $3.3 million federal appropriation to launch a new graduate medical education program in the U.S. Senate omnibus bill signed by President Joe Biden.
The funding couldn’t come at a better time, as New Jersey (like the rest of the country) faces a critical shortage of physicians.
Holy Name officials said they intend to train 90 doctors per year in clinical specialties including internal medicine, psychiatry, general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, nephrology and palliative care.
The appropriation will fund the initial cost to renovate 8,400 square feet and purchase the needed equipment to launch the new residency program in Teaneck.
Holy Name CEO Mike Maron said the impact of the funding will be helpful to the hospital and the community it serves. He thanked U.S Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and other elected officials for ensuring Holy Name benefited.
About Holy Name
Holy Name is a leading health system in New Jersey, providing world-class care through a unique combination of medical expertise, innovative technology and humanity at the heart of every interaction. The system provides nationally recognized, award-winning inpatient, outpatient and wellness services through:
- Holy Name Medical Center, a comprehensive 361-bed acute care hospital;
- Holy Name Physicians, a network of nearly 400 primary and specialty care experts;
- Villa Marie Claire, a home-like residential hospice center in Saddle River;
- HNH Fitness, a state-of-the-art health and fitness center in Oradell;
- The Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing, a highly competitive institution dedicated to training the next generation of nursing professionals in Englewood Cliffs;
- Hôpital Sacré Coeur, a 200-bed hospital in Milot, Haiti;
The system also provides a wide range of services brought directly to patients through home care and telemedicine and hospital-at-home programs.
“There is nothing more important in health care right now than strengthening our future workforce,” he said. “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.
“We’re also grateful for the committed leadership of Sen. (Cory) Booker, Congressman (Bill) Pascrell and Congressman (Josh) Gottheimer, who fought for legislation in 2020 to raise the cap on the arbitrary number of allotted medical students we’re allowed to train. With New Jersey’s physician workforce facing significant pandemic-related retirements, this will be an important game-changer.”
New Jersey currently suffers from a shortage of physicians. The U.S. Health Resources and Service Administration predicts that, by 2025, New Jersey will be one of 37 states with a primary care doctor shortage, and among a dozen where the shortfall will be at least 1,000 fewer physicians than needed.
According to data from the New Jersey Hospital Association, a third of New Jersey’s practicing physicians are over 60 years old, the third-highest in the nation, and the state ranks 46th in the nation in the percentage of doctors under 40.
Each year, New Jersey has approximately 3,100 physician residents in training at 43 hospitals. At the same time, NJHA estimates that New Jersey has approximately 32 medical students and resident physicians in training per 100,000 residents, compared with 81 and 62 in neighboring New York and Pennsylvania, respectively.
