Black River Health Services celebrates expansion of Burgaw clinic to provide homebase for Novant Health rural residency program

BURGAW, N.C. – Novant Health representatives joined with Black River Health Services on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, to celebrate the Burgaw clinic’s recent expansion. The additional space will support increased access to care, made possible due to collaboration with Novant Health, which has launched a new rural track of its family medicine residency program. This transformative initiative aims to train the next generation of physicians directly in rural communities.

 

The rural residency program reflects a bold investment in community-based healthcare to address the shortage of primary care physicians by placing medical residents in the heart of rural communities.

 

“Where doctors train is where they’re most likely to stay,” said Dr. Bailey Minish, a Novant Health family medicine physician who also serves as associate program director for the rural residency track. “This program helps ensure that high-quality, compassionate care is accessible not just in cities, but also in the small towns and rural areas.”

 

The inaugural class of residents has already begun their rotations, providing hands-on care to patients while gaining practical experience in rural family medicine. Over the next three years, these physicians will be mentored by local clinicians as they focus on practicing in a rural healthcare setting. By year three, the program is slated to host a total of six rural residents, in addition to the teaching physicians who are affiliated with UNC School of Medicine.

 

“We are not just filling gaps in care— we’re building long-term solutions,” said Lee Ann Amann, CEO of Black River Health Services. “This program strengthens our workforce, deepens our roots in the community, and creates a sustainable pipeline of primary care providers.”