The physician residents and faculty members who make up the Phoebe Family Medicine Residency (PFMR) are seeing their patients in a new location. The program’s clinic relocated from Phoebe Northwest to the Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital campus, creating a more integrated and effective environment for medical training and patient care.

After graduating from medical school, the residents spend three years at Phoebe training under the guidance of experienced faculty. They complete specialty rotations and provide inpatient care at Phoebe hospitals, but a cornerstone of their training is also managing the care of their own dedicated group of patients in a clinic setting. Consolidating both aspects of the training under one roof will benefit the residents and their patients.  

“Having all our residents and clinical resources in one location at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital is a tremendous step forward for our program. This environment allows our residents to train alongside specialists, access advanced diagnostic tools, and experience the full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient care, all in one place. It allows us to operate more efficiently, elevates the quality of training we can provide and better prepares our physicians for the future of medicine,” said Clifford Dunn, MD, PFMR Program Director and a graduate of the program himself.

The residents will continue to have daily opportunities to collaborate with specialists across a broad range of disciplines in the hospital, deepening their clinical knowledge and sharpening the critical thinking skills required of a well-rounded family medicine physician. They will no longer have to travel across town for their clinic work or to learn from or consult with PFMR faculty members.  

Patients of the PFMR Clinic will also experience improvements because of the relocation. The hospital-based setting provides direct, convenient access to on-site laboratory services, imaging, and a wide range of specialty care, all without requiring patients to travel to multiple locations for their healthcare needs. The clinic is also located next to the Phoebe Pharmacy, providing patients with quicker and easier access to medications. This level of integrated access is especially valuable for patients managing chronic conditions or those who require coordinated care across several medical disciplines.

Phoebe Physicians President Estrellita Redmon, MD, says the move is about much more than a simple change of address. “By bringing our residency clinic into the hospital, we are delivering a seamless, patient-centered experience where our community members have easy access to the comprehensive services they need. We are also setting the stage for the future as we grow our graduate medical education programs through our partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine. Over the next few years, we will see a dramatic increase in the number of physician residents and medical students training at Phoebe, with a goal of increasing the number of physicians in our community and improving access to care,” Dr. Redmon said.

That growth is already occurring with the expansion of the PFMR from 8 to 12 residents per class. Primary care physician shortages remain a challenge in many rural and underserved communities throughout Georgia and training more family medicine residents locally increases the likelihood that those physicians will choose to practice in the area after completing their training. Phoebe has long recognized the importance of graduate medical education – the PMFR launched in 1993 as the region’s first medical residency program – and this expansion underscores that commitment.

Patients visiting the new PFMR Clinic are encouraged to enter the hospital through the Medical Towers entrance where Red Coat transporters will be on hand to greet visitors and provide assistance. From the entrance, patients should take an immediate right and continue past the new Phoebe Pharmacy. The PFMR Clinic is located on the left. Signage is posted to help guide patients to their destination. The clinic's address is 425 W. Third Avenue, Suite 105 Step-by-step directions to locations throughout Phoebe’s main and Meredyth Place campuses are also available on the Find Your Way section of Phoebe’s website, www.phoebehealth.com.

For more information about the PFMR Clinic or to schedule an appointment, please visit https://phoebehealth.com/new/make-an-appointment/ or contact the clinic directly at 229-312-8800.