The South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care (SDFMC) has pledged $10,000 per year for five years for a total of $50,000 to aid medical school efforts through its FARM program to provide physicians to rural communities in South Dakota.

“The FARM program is an innovative way to ensure access to quality care in rural South Dakota communities,” said Dr. John Fritz, board president of SDFMC.

FARM was launched by the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine in July 2014 to expose medical students to rural communities in South Dakota and to encourage medical students to practice in the state’s rural settings. During their FARM experience, selected medical students spend nine months working under a physician’s supervision in a rural hospital or clinic.

“We think this program (FARM) will successfully increase the number of physicians practicing in rural communities across South Dakota,” said Dr. Susan Anderson, chair of family medicine and director of the FARM program at the school of medicine. “We are very appreciative of the support offered by the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care, and for their confidence in FARM.”

The FARM program has been successful on many fronts and continues to expand, as more students and more communities participate, and it has been nationally recognized as an effective tool to connect medical students with rural medical practice.

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