The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) at Arkansas State University has been awarded approximately $3.7 million in grants to help establish a family medicine residency program in Blytheville and expand emergency medical technician (EMT) and paramedic training throughout Arkansas.
The funding, announced Thursday, Sept. 24, by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders as part of the state's Rural Health Transformation Project, includes $3 million to cover startup costs for the planned residency and about $740,000 for emergency medical services (EMS) training initiatives. According to NYITCOM, these projects aim to address Arkansas's critical shortages in health care workers and services, particularly in rural areas.
The new family medicine residency is being developed in partnership with the Mississippi County Hospital System and St. Bernards Healthcare. NYITCOM is seeking accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, with plans to welcome its first class of four residents in summer 2027.
"We’ve been working diligently toward making this program a reality, and the funding we graciously received today marks a significant step in doing so," said Dr. Amanda Deel, NYITCOM’s associate dean for graduate medical education and leader of the initiative.
Dr. Deel emphasized the program’s significance for recruiting and retaining rural physicians. "Data shows that physicians who attend residency in rural areas are much more likely to practice in one, and we’re humbled at the opportunity to train the type of physician our communities need in the communities that need them the most," she said.
The residency will focus on training physicians to handle complex chronic health issues with limited local resources, leverage telemedicine, and deliver obstetric and pediatric services while collaborating with community leaders to address social determinants of health.
Mississippi County currently has nine full-time family medicine physicians serving a population of roughly 40,000, according to a report from the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.
In addition to the residency, the $740,000 EMS grant will fund additional instructors and initial costs for NYITCOM’s expanded paramedic and EMT training programs. These programs will be offered through new partnerships with Arkansas Northeastern College in Blytheville, Black River Technical College in Pocahontas, as well as colleges in Malvern and El Dorado. The local schools will recruit students regionally, with NYITCOM serving as the sponsoring institution.
"The demand for EMTs and paramedics has never been greater in our state, and we’re fortunate to be in a position to help address the issue," said Sara Walker, director of NYITCOM’s EMS programs. The school’s paramedic program currently reports a 90% first-time licensing exam pass rate among participants.
NYITCOM, which opened at Arkansas State University (A-State) in Jonesboro in 2016, assumed responsibility for A-State’s EMT and paramedic programs in 2024. Those programs currently operate in Jonesboro and Cherokee Village, and the new funding will allow their expansion to meet statewide needs.
Both the residency and EMS training grants are part of the Rural Health Transformation Project’s RISE initiative, which focuses on Recruitment, Innovation, Skills, and Education. These awards come on the heels of a $1.5 million grant NYITCOM received in August through the same project for maternal and child health programs in Mississippi and Poinsett counties. In total, the medical school has secured about $5.2 million in grants from the project this year.
"We are so grateful to again receive funds that will truly make a difference in health education in Arkansas," said Dr. Shane Speights, dean of NYITCOM at A-State.
NYITCOM operates from Wilson Hall on A-State’s Jonesboro campus, with a mission to train physicians and advance health care in rural and underserved areas of Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta.