STHS, Ochsner Health Announce New Family Medicine Residency Program

Joint Initiative Will Educate the Next Generation of Physicians at Purpose-Built Covington Site

COVINGTON, LOUISIANA – St. Tammany Health System and Ochsner Health have announced the establishment of a first-in-the-region family medicine residency program, set to welcome its inaugural resident class at a purpose-built clinic in north Covington on July 1, 2024.

The St. Tammany Health System/Ochsner Family Medicine Residency Program will fulfill the growing demand for physicians and establish a healthcare workforce pipeline by training a diverse cohort of excellent, well-rounded physicians who will provide comprehensive, high-quality, and compassionate health care to the surrounding community. Unlike other specialties limited to a particular organ or disease, family medicine physicians are the only specialists qualified to treat most ailments and provide comprehensive health care for people of all ages — from newborns to seniors.

Dr. Lisa Casey, Program Director for the newly ACGME-accredited residency program will oversee 24 residents and physicians from both St. Tammany Health System and Ochsner Health. Construction on the 18,000-square-foot clinic, located near the intersection of U.S. 190 and Louisiana 25, is underway with completion expected in early 2024.

“We are excited by this opportunity to address two of our long-standing strategic goals: to help fulfill the growing demand for physicians both nationally and here at home, while also providing local residents with improved access to St. Tammany Health System’s unique brand of compassionate care,” said Joan Coffman, president and CEO of St. Tammany Health System. “We value our trusted standing as a community health system here on the Northshore, and we are grateful for yet another opportunity to work with our partner Ochsner Health to launch this exciting new initiative.”

“This is an initiative that will expand care in a field that is crucial to the foundation of medicine and the health and well-being of every family member,” said Dr. Patrick Torcson, senior vice president and chief medical officer of St. Tammany Health System. “Family medicine physicians offer a broad breadth of knowledge and comprehensive health care unique to their specialty in caring for their patients. We have a distinct opportunity through this program to grow this specialty.”

This joint endeavor marks another notable milestone in the decade-long partnership between St. Tammany Health System and Ochsner Health, as they merge their missions of providing trusted community healthcare and quality physician education.

Along with the program director, a team of six core faculty members will practice alongside and train residents in the family medicine clinic, which will offer onsite X-ray, lab draws and physical therapy. The core faculty and a full complement of specialist faculty are excited to welcome the first class of residents in July 2024.

“At Ochsner, we always aim to put patients first, and this new family residency center is a perfect fit for the community, the region and for our partnership with St. Tammany Health System,” said Dr. Timothy Riddell, CEO of Ochsner Northshore and Mississippi Gulf Coast Region. “We are seeing health care change, so it is more important than ever that we adapt to families’ needs. This new venture with St. Tammany Health System will fulfill that mission.”

“The St. Tammany Health System/Ochsner Family Medicine Residency Program will provide local families even more convenient access to our quality, compassionate healthcare, while also training the next generation of family medicine physicians,” said Dr. Casey. “This collaboration is another notable milestone in our partnership and deepens our mission to provide an integrated and holistic approach to healthcare for our communities.”

The program’s mission is to increase the physician workforce in St. Tammany Parish, and thus improve access to care. In doing so, the St. Tammany Health System/Ochsner Family Medicine Residency Program addresses the objectives of both St. Tammany Health System’s Healthier Northshore and Ochsner’s collaborative Healthy State outreach initiatives. Both initiatives share goals of building healthier communities through collaboration, by bringing resources to underserved communities; better understand the impact of health and social conditions; utilizing data, technology and innovation to improve outcomes; and investing in Louisiana’s economic growth and workforce.

To learn more about the St. Tammany Health System/Ochsner Family Medicine Residency Program visit www.sttammany.health/medresidency.

To learn more about eligibility requirements or to apply for the residency program, visit education.ochsner.org.

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St. Tammany Health System and Ochsner Health work together in partnership to improve our community’s health and quality of life, today and for the future. Together, we represent the most complete system of care, aligning west St. Tammany’s top two independent health leaders behind the common goals of improving access, expanding specialty care and making care affordable.

St. Tammany Health System is the heartbeat of its community, caring for patients and families with excellence, compassion and teamwork; it will strengthen the health of its community with compassion, innovation and partnership. St. Tammany Health System is recognized for quality, safety and patient experience by Healthgrades, Hospital Compare, Leapfrog, Quantros/CareChex, Women’s Choice and US News & World Report.
St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 is an independent service district delivering world-class health care close to home to best serve patients and families in west St. Tammany and surrounding areas. Self-supporting, not-for-profit STHS receives no tax funding. StTammany.health

Ochsner Health is an integrated healthcare system with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. Celebrating more than 80 years of service, it leads nationally in cancer care, cardiology, neurosciences, liver and kidney transplants and pediatrics, among other areas. Ochsner is consistently named both the top hospital and top children’s hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report. The not-for-profit organization is inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities through its Healthy State initiative, a bold and collaborative plan to realize a healthier Louisiana. Its focus is on preventing diseases and providing patient-centered care that is accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. Ochsner Health pioneers new treatments, deploys emerging technologies and performs groundbreaking research, including 4,000 patients enrolled in 685 clinical studies in 2022. It has more than 37,000 employees and over 4,700 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties. It operates 46 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Gulf South; and its cutting-edge Connected Health digital medicine program is caring for patients beyond its walls. In 2022, Ochsner Health treated more than 1.4 million people from every state and 62 countries. As Louisiana’s top healthcare educator of physicians, Ochsner Health and its partners educate thousands of healthcare professionals annually. To learn more, visit https://www.ochsner.org/.