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As he talked about the chance to come to Battle Creek, to complete his medical training in the medical school’s new Family Medicine residency program in the Cereal City, Dr. David Arenstein said he was drawn by the close vicinity to his hometown in central Ohio and the opportunity to join the close-knit community.

“From the moment I interviewed here I knew this program was exactly what I was looking for in a residency – a residency program that focuses on training full-spectrum family physicians who would practice in a small community,” said Dr. Arenstein, who moved to Michigan earlier this summer with his wife and son. “I was inspired on interview day by the genuine dedication that faculty, staff and the community had for this residency and its passion for public health and civic life.”

Dr. Arenstein’s remarks came during a special reception on Wednesday, July 24, 2019, at the Battle Creek Community Foundation where he and five other new Family Medicine residents – Drs. Lubhin Bhagat, Mahsa Langroo, Salam Khalil, Christian Ordaz and Max Shakourian – were officially welcomed to the community. The event was also a moment to celebrate the new training program and the work and collaboration by ��ͷ��app, Bronson Healthcare and Grace Health that made the program’s launch possible.

The six doctors officially began their training in Battle Creek on July 1, 2019, under the leadership of Dr. Holli Neiman-Hart, program director of the Family Medicine – Battle Creek residency program. Each year, six new physicians will be accepted into the three-year curriculum and once the residency is fully operational, 18 Family Medicine residents will be practicing in the community at any given time. The new residents are receiving training at Bronson Battle Creek and Grace Health, Battle Creek’s federally qualified family health center, serves as the residency site for outpatient training.

Dr. Hal B. Jenson, the medical school’s founding dean, said the new Family Medicine residency program in Battle Creek is an important part of ��ͷ��app’s mission to ensure that its students and resident physicians become great clinicians, leaders, educators, researchers and advocates.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the partnership and to be welcoming the residents who have chosen to make this community their place of practice for the next three years,” Dr. Jenson said.��

Dr. Peter Chang, president and CEO of Grace Health, said the arrival of the new resident physicians marked an important milestone for Grace Health and its pursuit of a physician residency in Battle Creek.

“The Family Medicine residents will serve alongside our employed physicians, ��ͷ��app faculty, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, midwives, behavioral health consultants, and dentists learning, seeing patients, experiencing a real practice in which different disciplines work together to provide coordinated, patient-centered care,” Dr. Chang said. “This new residency allows us to help train the doctors of the future and we hope that many of the residents who learn here will stay here in Calhoun County.”

The new residency training program got off the ground in 2016 thanks to startup funding – three $1 million grants – from Bronson Healthcare Group, Bronson Battle Creek Hospital Community Partners and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. In providing money for the new program, the donors cited the unique opportunity to strengthen healthcare services in Calhoun County and build a stronger local economy.

Dr. Bhagat said she was attracted to the Family Medicine residency program in Battle Creek because of “how committed and engaged the community was” to the program’s success.

“The hospitality, the humility, the kindness that I got from my interview and first meeting with Dr. Neiman-Hart and Christina (Steele) was one of the reasons why this became my top choice,” Dr. Bhagat said. “The community of Battle Creek has been super supportive and encouraging during this transition.”

When he addressed the crowd during the special reception, Frank Sardone, president and CEO of Bronson Healthcare, said the event was a celebration “for this community and this region.”

“I want to express Bronson’s sincere appreciation for the interest and advocacy that has been present in this community for many years that helped generate the momentum for Bronson Battle Creek to become a teaching hospital,” he said. “That enthusiasm and funding support has been instrumental in helping us partner with ��ͷ��app and Grace Health to develop a residency program that will not only expand access to primary care, it will advance the health of the community and region, and contribute to the economic vitality of Calhoun County and Battle Creek, and the entire region.”

“This aligns very well with the Battle Creek Vision which has been focused on education, employment, and vitality,” Sardone added.��“The residency program connects in all three areas and over the next three years, will bring 18 physicians plus teaching staff to live, learn and work in this community. There have been many, many hours of planning and procedural hoops for a number of teams at Grace, at ��ͷ��app and at Bronson to jump through and they have all done a fantastic job … The evidence is in the caliber of the family physicians who have chosen to complete their medical training here with us.”

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