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This June, six Family Medicine residents will begin their three-year training with Adventist Health Ukiah Valley (AHUV) as the inaugural class of a program that has generated tremendous community and institutional support over the past five years as it was being built. Says AHUV Family Medicine Residency Program Director Dr. Noemi Doohan, “Years of hard work to bring new doctors to our area have finally paid off, and we're excited to celebrate this accomplishment.”  Rural Health Rocks is an annual fundraising event put on by Family Medicine Education for Mendocino County (FMEMC) in support of the residency program. After three incredibly successful years, Rural Health Rocks is being re-imagined in its fourth year as Music is Medicine, in which the new residents are the celebrities and health and wellness are the focus. The event, being held on Saturday, June 15 at the Mendocino College in Ukiah, will include a farm-to-table dinner by Black Dog Farm catering and dessert by the Mendocino College Culinary Arts program. The dinner’s MC is a crowd favorite, Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman. The multi-part concert will feature Alex de Grassi, Jeremy Cohen, Spencer Brewer, and many other local legends. Special guests include the new residents, elected officials, and the 2019 Rural Health Rock Star winners. With only one concert this year and the addition of a family-style dinner featuring local farms and served al fresco, tickets are expected to go fast. Past concert goers have come away with enthusiasm and hope. “I’m always overcome with a sense of gratitude for the community,” says Kate Magruder, who has attended all three years. “It is an honor to be even a small part of this exciting new opportunity that is going to have such a wide impact.” In partnership with UC Davis, the AHUV Family Medicine residency program will take on six medical school graduates every year; at the end of three years, 18 new doctors will be living and working in our community. Says FMEMC President Mary Anne Landis, “The residency program will let us ‘grow our own’ primary care doctors for years to come, which is something the community wants and supports.”  Studies show that the majority of residents set up practice in the region where they train, and each new doctor represents a $1 million economic benefit to the community. Family doctors are especially impactful in rural areas: they are the “Swiss Army knife” of doctors, according to Dr. Doohan, and can diagnose and treat the majority of health issues requiring care.
Proceeds from Music is Medicine will help fund wellness and specialty curriculum for the residents (like Lyme awareness and treatment) and the Street Medicine program. It will also support the Nursing, Recording Arts, Visual Arts, and Culinary Arts programs at Mendocino College. Music is Medicine is made possible by its many generous supporters. For the fourth year in a row, Fowler Subaru has come in strong as the presenting sponsor. Other major sponsors are Ukiah Waste Solutions, Frey Vineyards, and Fedele and Linda Bauccio. Additional sponsors are Crane of Ukiah, Gary Nix – Realtor, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Hawkes Construction, Mendocino Community Health Clinic, Flow Kana, Community First Credit Union, Dr. Robert Ortega, Myers Medical Pharmacy, South Ukiah Rotary, and the Mendocino College Foundation. Promotional support is being provided by KOZT, KZYX, and KWINE and the City of Ukiah. Hospitality sponsors are Barra of Mendocino, Handley Winery, North Coast Brewing Company, Crush Italian Restaurant, and Schat’s Bakery. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.ruralhealthrocks.com. |
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