News

Unity Health – Harris Medical Center welcomes Guilford Dudley, M.D. out of retirement one-day each week. Dr. Dudley is working with resident physicians within the Unity Health Continuity Clinic; located at 1200 McLain St., Suite G in Newport.

The Unity Health Continuity Clinic enhances primary care availability in Newport with eight physicians. The clinic provides eight internal medicine residents, who are a part of Unity Health's Graduate Medical Education (GME) program.

"The doctors who are working with Dr. Dudley are residents in training. They have the capability of building their own practice, with a solid patient base, while serving in Newport," says Darren Caldwell, VP/Administrator of Unity Health-Harris Medical Center. "We feel like this is a remarkable recruitment opportunity; because the resident doctors will have already grown their own practice over a three-year timeframe. This provides excellent incentive to retain physicians, right here in Newport, by growing-our-own."

The continual mission of Unity Health is to ensure healthcare in Arkansas for future generations. The GME program, which currently has 33 resident physicians in four specialties, is estimated to grow throughout the next three years. The internal medicine program will increase up to 30 residents while the family medicine program will increase to 18 residents. The emergency medicine will increase up to 18 and the psychiatric medicine program will increase up to 16 residents within the next four years

Why Did Unity Health Start a GME Program?

In 2007 the American Association of Medical Colleges put forth a statement that the number of medical students needed to increase by 30 percent to meet healthcare needs. In addition, statistics show that physician residents practice generally within an hour of where they trained in residency. Unity Health has responded to help teach physicians; playing a critical role in ensuring future healthcare in Arkansas.

What Does it Mean to Be a Physician in Residency?

Upon graduation from medical school, medical students are required to complete a residency program which serves as the graduate phase of medical training. The Unity Health Graduate Medical Education program currently features four different focused areas of study; internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine and psychiatric medicine. Each program offers a minimum of three years of intensive, hands-on osteopathic medicine training within both hospital and clinic environments.

The program will help prepare residents to practice as osteopathic physicians.

What is Osteopathic Medicine?

Physicians who practice and are trained in osteopathic medicine, also known as D.O.s, focus on a holistic view of medicine based on the philosophy that all bodily systems are connected and related to each other. Osteopathic medicine concentrates on the patient's health as a whole to diagnose rather than treating the symptoms alone. Great emphasis is also placed on preventing disease.

Now Accepting New Patients.

The Unity Health Continuity Clinic is available every Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Appointments may be made by calling 870.523.9852. Walk-ins are welcomed.

ABOUT UNITY HEALTH – HARRIS MEDICAL CENTER:

Unity Health – Harris Medical Center is a 133-bed facility with complete inpatient and outpatient care. The Harris Medical Center staff believes in the power of people to create great care. Harris Medical Center is more than 225 healthcare professionals strong and works hard every day to create a place of healing, caring and connection for patients and families in the community they call home. In addition to the main campus, Unity Health – Harris Medical Center's network includes Unity Health - Medical Clinic, Unity Health - Internal Medicine, Unity Health - Women's Clinic and Unity Health - Pediatric Clinic.