NorthShore Health Centers and Northwest Health Indiana join forces in the creation of a continuity clinic for medical residents

/EIN News/ -- MUNSTER, Indiana, Aug. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new rigorous continuity clinic for medical residents specializing in internal medicine launches this month, in partnership with NorthShore Health Centers and Northwest Health Indiana, was announced today.

Chief medical officer Dr. Andi Arnautovic of NorthShore and Dr. Aaysha Kapila, program director of Northwest, are excited about the opportunity the partnership will provide not only to the residents but to the communities they will be serving.

“Teaching is and always has been an integral component to the NorthShore mission. Patients are at the center of everything we do,” Arnautovic said. “It’s our way of giving back to the community. Through this partnership, these residents are learning to practice in one of the most diverse population areas. Here we have all segments of society represented in terms of cultural background, language and ethnicity.”

The residents will be doing in-patient rotations at Northwest Health hospitals in Porter and outpatient clinics at NorthShore Clinics in Portage and Hammond.

“Our hope is that some of these residents choose primary care for their career path,” Arnautovic said, “and that they would continue their vocation in this area.”

The first cohort has 13 first-year residents and one second-year resident. They were selected from a pool of 500 candidates. The residents hail from all over the world, including Ukraine, India, Canada, Pakistan, Nepal and the United States, to name a few. Each resident will work with a preceptor faculty member as they complete their 13 rotations throughout the various specialty floors. The three-year program will cap out at 39 residents as the initial class progresses and newer classes come up behind it.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our patients, as well as a very unique opportunity for the residents,” said Jacquelyn Mullins, program coordinator for the department of internal medicine at Northwest Health. “Medicine evolves over time and these residents provide fresh eyes and minds that can be applied to patient outcomes. With access to more physicians, our patients will benefit from more time spent with them reviewing their cases, reduced wait times and sooner follow-up visits.”

NorthShore currently has more than 20 locations including full-service clinics, primary care clinics in local school districts that provide medical, dental, vision, chiropractic, podiatry, mental health and medication assistance through on-site pharmacies. The health system just recently opened four new clinics in East Chicago, Michigan City, and Gary and Crown Point, Indiana.

Northwest Health’s regional healthcare network is composed of three hospitals in LaPorte, Porter and Starke, four outpatient medical centers, three surgery centers, and two urgent care centers, as well as an extensive medical group.

About NorthShore Health Centers
NorthShore Health Centers is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality, affordable healthcare to everyone, including the uninsured and underinsured, in Porter, Lake, La Porte and Jasper counties. The healthcare provider offers a sliding-scale or discounted self-pay option based on income for those with no medical insurance or high insurance deductibles.
Patients are seen on both a scheduled and walk-in basis. After-hours services are also available at many of the locations including Saturdays at three of the clinics: Portage, Lake Station, and Hammond Centers. For more information, visit northshorehealth.org.

Denise Carpenter
                    NorthShore Health
                    219.707.9953