The team at Saratoga Hospital’s Saratoga Community Health Center recently received the 2019 Alice E. Fruehan, MD, Award for Excellence in Clinical Precepting from the Department of Community & Family Medicine at Albany Medical College.
The award is presented annually to a family practice community preceptor in recognition of their dedication and commitment to the students of Albany Medical College. Preceptors help train future physicians by providing opportunities for them to learn and practice their skills outside the classroom, in a clinical setting.
Dr. Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote, medical director of the Community Health Center, received the award in 2017. This year, the award recognized the more than 40 members of the Community Health Center team.
They include: primary care, behavioral health and addiction medicine physicians; nurse practitioners, psychiatric nurses, registered and licensed practical nurses; dentists and hygienists; dental and medical assistants; social workers and credentialed alcoholism and substance abuse counselors; and program management, administrative and front office staff.
“Teaching medical students takes a village, so it is imperative that we acknowledge the hard work that the staff also puts in to educate the learners from Albany Medical College,” said Dr. Annie Rutter, associate professor and director of medical student education in the Department of Family & Community Medicine at Albany Medical College. “The continued commitment of Dr. Rodriguez-Goodmote and her physicians and staff is unparalleled, and the experience that is provided to the students is extraordinary.”
Rodriguez-Goodemote has served as a preceptor for Albany Medical College since 2015, two years before Saratoga Hospital became an affiliate of Albany Med. The affiliation—and the medical students’ experience at Saratoga Community Health Center—has strengthened the relationship between the center and the medical college’s Department of Community & Family Medicine, officials said.
“Students continually request to be placed at the Community Health Center after hearing from their classmates about the educational experience and the remarkable work that is being done for the patients of Saratoga,” Rutter said.
The award was established in memory of Dr. Alice E. Fruehan, founding chair of the Department of Family Practice at Albany Medical College. The award pays tribute to Fruehan by recognizing preceptors who share her passion for educating Albany Medical College students.
