In 2006, Sutter Health sought to develop community partnerships to expand the support of residency operations. This decision provided an opportunity to strengthen the community base and expand the learning opportunities for residents in training. The Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency, along with leaders of the medical community, created a plan for the program’s vision of resident education. The result is the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency Consortium, a non-profit organization with a board consisting of leaders from the entire medical community and financial support from all the major medical institutions of the county.

The consortium highlights residency core beliefs, looks to the future of family medicine, and is supported by the mission of the program. The consortium includes educational partners that will best serve residency goals. Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente, and Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital provide excellent experiences for core inpatient rotations. Additionally, Kaiser physicians and community doctors provide education and patient access to various areas of subspecialty and ambulatory care. Finally, in the current environment of medicine, a Federally Qualified Health Center offers the best and most comprehensive health care to vulnerable patient populations. As a result, the residency has partnered with Southwest Community Health Center (a local FQHC) to care for Family Practice Center patients. The residency and its academic institution, UCSF, oversee the consortium members. These partnerships offer insight and breadth into the practicing of family medicine and provide a foundation for the continued excellence of the residency.

The Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency Consortium solidifies the future and promises to be a centerpiece for the evolving health care system of Sonoma County. Additionally, the consortium offers a model of residency education for the nation...It is this opportunity for training, leadership, and creativity that the residency offers to residents, faculty, and partners in the community.

The Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency and the Consortium are committed to building upon the enduring strengths and values of the program, while reaching into the future to stay on the forefront of training the best family doctors in the country.