To: Board of Supervisors
From: Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Report Title: Resolution recognizing the 75th Anniversary of Family Medicine Residency Program
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Resolution recognizing the 75th Anniversary of Family Medicine Residency Program
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact
BACKGROUND:
Resolution recognizing the 75th Anniversary of Family Medicine Residency Program
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
No negative action
The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California
body
IN THE MATTER OF RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM
WHEREAS, Dr. George Degnan started a Residency programs in Contra Costa Health around 1950 and often said it was a residency of “labor,” and it was one of the first General Practice residency program in the country; and
WHEREAS, George had gone to London and upon his return in 1947, he found that the sleepy Contra Costa County he had left had grown precipitously. He had attended high school in Richmond, where Kaiser shipyards later rolled out the victory ships, Martinez oil refineries had attracted many workers, and Pittsburg was fabricating steel. It was a real boom economy; and
WHEREAS, George lobbied for a new hospital to be included with the layout of California high schools in 1953; and
WHEREAS, when the program started there were 10 residents per year and it has since grown to 13 per class; and
WHEREAS, regionalization was the innovative approach George instituted in the 1950s to ensure continuity between inpatient and outpatient care, and he directed that Residents be distributed throughout regional clinics; and
WHEREAS, major accomplishments have taken place at Contra Costa Health including the Contra Costa Health Plan being the first federally-qualified public HMO in the country; the implementation of a three tier registrar system which inserted generalists with special interest in one of the specialties in between primary care and specialists; improvements in staffing, communication, teaching, and quality of care; and creating an outstanding Health System COVID response which included community outreach into our diverse Contra Costa communities.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, hereby celebrates a legacy of 75 years of training physician leaders in Contra Costa County through its Residency Program. We honor their outstanding leadership and unwavering dedication to the community in providing equitable, compassionate and outstanding medical care in our County.