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News Releases / Full Story

October 13, 2008

Baraboo Rural Residency Program Receives Accreditation

Program a Model to Others Throughout the Country

Over the next 10 years, many primary care physicians in Sauk County and throughout rural Wisconsin will retire and will not be easily replaced. One program in Sauk County trying to change that is the Baraboo Family Medicine Residency Program, which just received a 5 year accreditation/certification by the American Council on Graduate Medical Education!

“Many medical students today are choosing specialty careers in more urban areas and at larger hospitals,” says Baraboo Residency Program Director James Damos, MD. “Our hope is that Sauk County will continue to attract and retain excellent primary and specialty care providers in the future as a result of this program.”

Experienced physicians in Baraboo serve as teachers and role models for this program, which trains new physicians onsite at Baraboo Medical Associates and St. Clare Hospital. There are only approximately 30 other rural training tracks nationally. During the accreditation process, it was noted that the Baraboo program should serve as a model to other rural programs around the country.

“Studies show that physicians tend to join practices in regions similar to where they trained,” says Dr. Damos. “We are an excellent example of that.”

In fact, since the program opened in 1996, 100% of the Baraboo program physician graduates have chosen rural/underserved practice, 50% of the graduates have chosen rural practice in Wisconsin, and three of these graduates have joined the staff of St. Clare Hospital (Dr. Jamie Kling, Dr. Tim Deering, and Dr. Christina Hook).

This program is a partnership between Dean/St. Mary’s Regional Clinics, St. Clare Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital, Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and the University Of Wisconsin Department Of Family Medicine. The Baraboo program operates with the help of annual donations from St. Clare Hospital, the University of Wisconsin, and the primary care family physicians at Baraboo Medical Associates. An endowed fund for the Baraboo Family Medicine Residency Program has been established through the St. Clare Foundation. These donations are then used to fund books, journals, equipment, and other educational projects that support the physician training in Baraboo.

The Baraboo Family Medicine Residency Program to date has been successful in placing physicians in our area but more are always needed! To raise awareness of the program or support the endowment fund, please contact St. Clare Foundation Director Keri Olson at (608) 356-1449. To speak with Dr. James Damos or one of our program graduates, please contact Dean Health System Communications Manager Melissa Wollering at (608) 250-1504.