By Tim Mastro

DOVER — Bayhealth’s inaugural class of residents has begun caring for patients in three Graduate Medical Education programs — family medicine, internal medicine and general surgery.

The resident physicians are working out of the newly opened Bayhealth Family Medicine in Dover, Bayhealth Internal Medicine in Milford and inpatient units at Bayhealth’s Kent and Sussex hospital campuses.

As Kent and Sussex counties experience health professional shortages of less than one primary care physician for every 2,000 people, the eight residents in family medicine and 13 in internal medicine aim to close that gap. The residents — recently graduated doctors — work alongside seasoned physicians to provide care.

“Most of us arrived in Delaware only a few weeks ago, but we are already caring for and connecting with patients of all ages to help them live happy and healthy lives,” said first-year resident Dr. Eric Moseley. “I hope that as residents we will not only be leaders and advocates for our patients in central and southern Delaware but also bring a part of ourselves that will enhance the overall community with a lot of young energy and new ideas.”

The Bayhealth Family Medicine practice in Dover held its ribbon-cutting in July. The practice is accepting new patients, can see entire families and offers services that are much needed in the area, like prenatal care and delivery, medication-assisted therapy for addiction and mental health counseling, Bayhealth officials said.

When the practice grows to its full capacity in the next few years, it will provide more than 30,000 visits annually.

“We wanted to create a place where all people were able to access excellent care,” said Dr. Brintha Vasagar, a primary care physician in the practice and medical director of Bayhealth’s Family Medicine Residency Program. “From delivering babies, helping them grow as healthy children, caring for parents and grandparents, and everything in between, we are excited to fill that need. We love partnering with our patients and helping them tackle all of their health goals.”

The GME programs have received monetary support from the local community, with nearly $2 million raised to date.

Additionally, Bank of America recently announced a $20,000 grant, as part of its philanthropic efforts. Awardees were selected for their commitment to addressing basic needs and workforce development for individuals and families, in particular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bayhealth is also training students through its Undergraduate Medical Education program, which is in its third year of hosting doctors-in-training from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. The UME program currently has 15 new and 10 returning medical students.

These students will complete 11 core rotations, each lasting one month, during their time at Bayhealth’s Kent and Sussex campuses. The specialty rotations involve following a Bayhealth physician for four weeks, experiencing hands-on learning and broadening skills in environments with patients.

“As they explore a range of specialties and learn from our expert medical staff, they will hone their expertise in providing thorough and compassionate patient care,” said UME Chair Dr. Joseph Rubacky. “We want these students to feel fulfilled by their growth here and connect with our community. It is also our hope that they’ll want to continue their graduate medical education training at Bayhealth and take care of our local residents through one of our newly launched residency programs in family medicine, internal medicine and general surgery.”