Joey Wahler (Host): It's the new home of Beebe Healthcare's Family Medicine Residency practice. So, we're discussing Long Neck Health Center. Our guests are Dr. Joyce Robert, Program Director for the Family Medicine Residency; Melissa Keiluhn, Primary Care Residency Practice Administrator, and also joined by Dr. Sophia Perez Delgado, a Family Medicine resident.

 This is the Beebe Healthcare Podcast. Thanks for joining us. I'm Joey Wahler. Hi to you all. Welcome.

Sofia Perez Delgado, MD: Hello.

Joyce Robert, MD: Hello, welcome.

Melissa Keiluhn: Thank you for having us.

Host: Absolutely. So first, let's start with you, Dr. Joyce. How does this new building represent a new chapter for the Family Medicine Residency Program? What are you most excited about here?

Joyce Robert, MD: There's a lot to be excited about, Joey, in this new facility. We went from an 11-exam room facility previously. Now, we have 21 exam rooms, so that gives us way more space to accommodate our patients and really meet the needs of the community.

Host: Melissa, what are some of the design features or other resources you think will have really the biggest impact on resident training and patient care, of course, as well?

Melissa Keiluhn: Well, with the expansion of our facility, we are able to have point-of-care ultrasound and other various different specialties under the family medicine umbrella that are going to help our residents grow and learn, and not just primary care itself, but other specialties like Pediatrics, Dermatology. The point-of-care ultrasound, like I said, and a lot of other various, specialties under that Family Medicine umbrella.

Host: And Dr. Joyce, you mentioned really a doubling of some of the accommodations in this facility. So for this incoming class of residents starting this July, what are you most looking forward to for them to experience, be it in the practice or within the program overall?

Joyce Robert, MD: Oh man, there's a lot to choose from, Joey. I would say we have a really great Behavioral Health faculty, Dr. Schirvar. And she's really spearheading that Integrative Behavioral Health. So, I want our new class to really see how primary care fits into behavioral health, because that's very, very important.

Host: Absolutely. And so Dr. Perez Delgado, as the resident here, how has your experience in the program shaped you so far?

Sofia Perez Delgado, MD: I will say it has made me more of a well-rounded individual, which is something that you have to do when you're in family medicine to kind of look at the different aspects of a person, not just one little thing, and also to grow in my teamwork and community as well.

Host: Is there one aspect of the new facility that you found most inviting to this point?

Sofia Perez Delgado, MD: I think we have only been there since Monday. I will say the first thing I noticed was the doors, like they're wide enough for people who have disabilities or people who are using mobility devices to make it into the room with us, having to mosh in the room, so they feel more welcome and comfortable when they come in.

Host: How do you think the new clinic could change things for those coming in as residents behind you?

Sofia Perez Delgado, MD: I see the new clinic as like a dream come true, because that's something that we learn about when we applied. So, they're going to come behind us with all this setup that we had for two years, but it's going to be more augmented. So now, we have people like Dr. Schirvar. Things like Melissa mentioned, such as the ultrasound, they're going to have all those procedures set up for them as well.

Host: Back to you, Dr. Joyce. What are some of the things happening behind the scenes from faculty or coordinator perspectives that help make a residency program like this run smoothly, especially with the move to a new space?

Joyce Robert, MD: Whew, where to begin. There's a lot behind the scenes. I have great faculty who really work on the curriculum, right? Making sure that, as a part of the point-of-care ultrasound, we have a great Sports Medicine curriculum, ultrasound curriculum. So, we have things on paper and then we'll be able to implement things live, even with our amazing team at Long Neck, like the clinical staff, just making sure everything is set up in each exam room. I mean, the list goes on and on. You know, every team member has a special part in making their residency program a success behind the scenes, there's a lot that goes on. I don't even know where to begin.

Host: Dr. Robert, your passion for this is really coming through. What kind of work does it take just to get it to this point?

Joyce Robert, MD: A lot. Yeah, I don't know. There's so many different pieces, even getting our resident physicians onboarded and making sure they go through the HR orientation, to making sure that the residents are seeing enough patients here, which I think we won't have a problem with that. And then, having faculty available to teach the residents, especially in procedures that like Melissa mentioned, gives it just a lot of moving pieces, you know, to operate a residency program.

Host: Speaking of which, let me get your thoughts, Melissa. What's going on that the average person might not see or notice that's helping things to run smoothly when everyone comes through the door each day.

Melissa Keiluhn: Oh, wow. Let's see. As Dr. Robert had mentioned, the team itself from the front desk girl to the medical assistants, to the RNs, to the clinicians, the administrators, we have all had a hand in building this practice from its founding, what, two and a half years ago, almost going on into our third year. I've been with Beebe now, it'll be a year on the 17th. And in my first year, this is what I had to do. And so, it was a really amazing experience. I got to work with a lot of really amazing people, and I've grown personally and professionally as well.

I think, from a community standpoint, our Press Ganey comments have improved leaps and bounds. Our patients can tell that the team genuinely like each other. They come in, there's a good feeling in the entire clinic. They have a great experience from start to finish, and they leave here kind of feeling like they're part of the family. They know that they can call and get a response in a timely manner and that any of their concerns that they may have will be addressed quickly and efficiently. So, I think that that is probably one of the most profound things that I've seen here with the practice because it speaks to the work and dedication of everyone involved here.

Host: And when you mentioned, Melissa, right at the end there, it might seem like something minor, but it can be really big for patients, right? Someone to answer phone in a timely manner. When you don't feel well, you want somebody to pick up, right?

Melissa Keiluhn: Absolutely. And we set the expectation, that if they have to leave a voicemail, we will get back to you at least within 24 to 48 business hours. We give them an expected timeframe so that it's not just, "Oh, we'll get back to you." We set that expectation. And when we get back to them sooner than 24 to 48 hours, which is 90% of the time, they're impressed with that ability.

Host: Dr. Robert, how about the thing most of all that makes this family medicine residency program stand out, especially now that it's operating out of this great new space?

Joyce Robert, MD: I think the collaboration between our resident physicians, like Melissa said, our Long Neck staff, our nursing staff and front desk staff, as well as the faculty. And we have really great leadership up from our CEO, Dr. Tam and our graduate medical education leadership, Dr. Sierzenski and Tanya and Dr. Hawtof. It goes on. So once we have that great foundation of leadership and support, it trickles down to the rest of us and be able to do these things and support and have finances and funding to build this beautiful building. It takes a lot, like I said, behind the scenes, even our Bebee Medical Foundation really contributing and finding donors to help bring this all to fruition. So, it really is like we say, it takes a village to raise a residency. So, I'm very grateful for all the team members.

Host: How about you, Melissa? The thing that stands out most right now about this program and this new facility?

Melissa Keiluhn: I think the projection of where we see the program going and how it's going to impact Sussex County and the community is very exciting and encouraging. And just with our ribbon cutting last night and the support that we saw from the community and the excitement knowing that this establishment is here and they have a consistent group of caring physicians and staff members. I think it's just going to continue to grow the community.

If you look at Sussex County, you know, everybody's moving down here. It's becoming very, very busy. So, you need a facility of this magnitude to be able to house those patients that are coming down and give them appropriate access within a timely manner. So, I'm excited about the services that we're going to be able to provide for our community and the access we're going to be able to provide for everyone that is in Sussex County.

Host: And Dr. Perez Delgado, what for you, stands out so far about the program? And we keep saying it, but it's the topic of the day, particularly in this new facility. What's it like to be able to work in such a great new place when you're just relatively speaking, starting your career?

Sofia Perez Delgado, MD: I'm telling you, this building is amazing. It's Very big facility. And compared to a little building, it was like, they mentioned, 11 rooms, you know, it was very small. Sometimes you will have to think of how to maneuver yourself in the room, how to do things in a way where you wouldn't, you know, falter as a physician and also make the patient comfortable.

In this new facility that we have right now, it's like we have more of an opening to get closer to the patients to talk. Also, places to where we can put our computers, laptops, so we are having more face-to-face, which is very important when you're doing patient care. You know, you as a patient want to come in the room and you want to feel the physician is listening to you, rather than just typing up. And you want to have that connection, which I believe this building is allowing more than the other one that we had.

Host: Dr. Perez Delgado as a resident to be surrounded by a staff where there's great comradery, teamwork, enthusiasm, and obviously a lot of that is going to rub off on you and yours and your class, right? So, how important is it not just for you to be doing a great job, but for having those around you all kind of pulling in the same direction?

Sofia Perez Delgado, MD: I will say without them, we wouldn't work as a practice because physicians can only do so much on their own. Coming in, getting people checked in, getting vitals, getting appointments on time, making the phone calls, making sure our patients are taken care of, that's happening while Long Neck is open. I'm out of the clinic most of the week, I'm there a couple days a week. But they are taking care of my patients while I'm out of the clinic, and they're making sure they're making us communicate in between, you know, like if I have to send a message. And I send it at 5:00 a.m. For example, my staff will see it in the morning and they will make sure they call my patient and my patient is aware of said message when they're in business hours.

Host: Gotcha. And in summary, let me ask you all one final question. For you, Dr. Robert, what would you say is next up on the horizon for this program and this facility now that it's up and running and you've got the initial part of it out of the way, I guess? What's next?

Joyce Robert, MD: So as you know, as you mentioned, Joey, that we have four new resident physicians starting in July. So then, we'll have a total of 12 resident physicians at some point, you know, rotating through our practice. And then, next year, in July, 2026, we do want to increase that to six residents per year. So future, we want to grow from a full complement of 12 resident physicians to 18 resident physicians over the course of three years as family medicine residency is a three-year term or program. So, I think that's probably the biggest thing. We'll just have more bodies to give high quality care to our community.

Host: More bodies. How about your reaction to that, Melissa? What's it going to be like to see the staff grow so exponentially, if you will?

Melissa Keiluhn: Well, I will say I've already started hiring people, so we're already preparing for the extra clinicians that are going to be coming in. So, we're very excited about that. And that, I think, is the whole point of the building itself is it's built with the idea of future growth. So, we have the room to expand the program from four to six. So, it's going to just improve our overall access to the community, as well as, give us a good fighting chance that these clinicians might stay with Sussex County and Beebe.

Host: And then finally for you, Dr. Perez Delgado, again as the resident resident, if you will, what do you think it's going to be like a year, several years, maybe down the road to be able to look back when you're an established doctor, well underway in your career to know that you were part of the initial class of this landmark new building. How much pride will there be in that?

Sofia Perez Delgado, MD: A lot of pride, especially because I'm from the first class of the program. I'm graduating next year, so I have been through a lot of the processes to get a lot of the procedure clinic started and getting all the services into the clinic. So in my time, it's more of setting it up and training people. But imagine coming back in 10 years and just seeing those things being like the standard. We have data more and that's what all our residents know. You know, that's what you like to see as a physician in the future of medicine.

Host: Absolutely. Very well said by you. Very well said by all of you. Folks, we trust you are now more familiar with the Long Neck Health Center, Dr. Robert, Dr. Perez Delgado, Melissa, good luck with everything. Congratulations on just getting it to this point. Sounds like it's going to be great, and thanks so much again.

Sofia Perez Delgado, MD: Thank you.

Joyce Robert, MD: Thanks, Joey.

Melissa Keiluhn: Thank you.

Host: To make an appointment at Long Neck Health Center, please call 302-645-3150. If you found this podcast helpful, please do share it on your social media. Thanks so much again for being part of Beebe Healthcare Podcast.