Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital Celebrates Continued ACGME Accreditation as a Sponsoring Institution

Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital (LCRH) proudly celebrated its continued accreditation as a Sponsoring Institution from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) with a special event on Tuesday, October 29th. This significant achievement highlights the hospital’s commitment to advancing medical education and training the next generation of physicians for the south-central Kentucky community.
 
The celebration, held outside the hospital’s main entrance, brought together hospital leaders, program directors, faculty, residents, and medical students. It acknowledged LCRH’s dedication to producing compassionate, highly skilled physicians and solidified its place among esteemed institutions, including UK, UL, Mayo Clinic, Vanderbilt, and Johns Hopkins.
 
Dr. Joseph Weigel, Program Director of Internal Medicine, emphasized the value of LCRH’s long-standing partnership in promoting Graduate Medical Education, stating, "LCRH has been our partner every step of the way in promoting and supporting Graduate Medical Education in this community. With their assistance, we have placed nearly 50 hospital and office-based generalist physicians, as well as subspecialty physicians, within a 50-mile radius of our community. The Internal Medicine and Family Medicine Programs are committed to continuing our mission of producing physicians committed to the health and well-being of patients in south-central Kentucky, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with LCRH. Accreditation by ACGME is a stamp of approval that we are doing this well."
 
Since initially partnering with the Appalachian Osteopathic Training Consortium (A-OPTIC), LCRH transitioned to an independent Sponsoring Institution in 2022. One year later, after a rigorous survey, ACGME granted continued accreditation, recognizing the hospital’s high standards in residency training. Both the Internal Medicine and Family Medicine programs achieved continued accreditation with no citations, underscoring the hospital’s excellence in medical education.
 
Dr. Patrick Jenkins, Program Director of Family Medicine, expressed his pride in the hospital’s educational mission, saying, "Our partnership with our hospital as a sponsoring institution solidifies our goal to train high-quality physicians to care for the health care needs of the Lake Cumberland and surrounding areas."
 
With a successful track record of producing healthcare professionals who remain in Kentucky, LCRH has seen 85 residents graduate from its programs, with 48 choosing to practice in Kentucky, including 25 who stayed on campus at LCRH. Jennifer Stephens Roberson, the hospital’s Designated Institutional Officer (DIO), added, "We are thrilled to have achieved continued accreditation as a Sponsoring Institution through the ACGME. This is an enormous accomplishment for our hospital, and we are excited to achieve this milestone and the impact these residency programs will have throughout Kentucky by increasing access and making communities healthier.”
 
Carolyn Sparks, CEO of Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, closed the event by recognizing the dedication of the hospital’s Graduate Medical Education team: "This continued accreditation is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire medical education team. It ensures that we will continue to provide high-quality training and compassionate care to the people of south-central Kentucky."
 
The event concluded with refreshments in the Graduate Medical Education building parking lot, symbolizing a bright future for the LCRH residency programs and their vital role in the community.
 
To learn more about The Residency Programs at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, visit gme.LakeCumberlandHospital.com