Family Medicine Residency Program at Sharp Grossmont Hospital receives accreditation from ACGME
Source: Sharp Healthcare
May 8, 2026 (La Mesa) – Sharp HealthCare is pleased to announce that its Family Medicine Residency Program has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The program, which will be based at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, will graduate six family medicine physicians into practice each year, helping ensure that San Diego County residents continue to receive the highest quality care from the best-trained physicians. The Grossmont Healthcare District will provide a generous $1 million per year over 10 years to help ensure the financial stability of the residency program. Additionally, the hospital was awarded a $2 million grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information’s Song-Brown program.
“This is a major step for us at Sharp Grossmont Hospital to foster an unparalleled educational and training experience for those young physicians interested in a career in family medicine,” says Gregory Apel, MD, chief medical officer at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. “With this degree of financial support, we are confident we will be able to create a program that will produce a new generation of highly qualified primary care physicians in San Diego and, in turn, provide an essential resource to our patients.”
Sharp Grossmont’s new residency program – anticipated to begin with its first class of residents in July 2027 – aligns with the health system’s vision to make Sharp the best place to work, practice medicine and receive care. The ACGME oversees residency and fellowship programs and helps set and monitor voluntary educational standards that prepare physicians to deliver safe, high-quality medical care in the United States.
The Song-Brown program, part of the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), aims to increase the number of students and residents receiving quality primary care education and training in areas of unmet need throughout California. Sharp Grossmont Hospital serves a diverse population in San Diego’s East County – from La Mesa to the Imperial Valley. Additionally, the Song-Brown program strives to support a culturally diverse and responsive primary care workforce: approximately 25 percent of Song-Brown residents are Black or Hispanic, and their ability to be trained and serve in underserved regions will help ease the stress on the growing need for physicians in these areas.
“This is one small step for Sharp Grossmont Hospital, and one giant step for future access to high quality primary care in East San Diego County,” said Randy Lenac, President of the Grossmont Healthcare District Board. “This is a very important healthcare initiative for all East County residents and the entire hospital team that put this program together are to be congratulated.”
About Sharp Grossmont Hospital
Sharp Grossmont Hospital For more than 70 years, Sharp Grossmont Hospital has proudly cared for the East San Diego County community with compassion, excellence, and a commitment to putting patients first. As the region’s largest not-for-profit, full-service acute care hospital, Sharp Grossmont offers 562 beds and a wide range of services designed to support people at every stage of life. Patients receive high-quality care across emergency and critical care, heart and cancer services, surgery, stroke care, orthopedics, neuroscience, behavioral health, women’s and newborn’s health, rehabilitation, and hospice care. A broad array of outpatient and preventive services — including pulmonary medicine, sleep care, wound care, home infusion, and hyperbaric medicine — helps patients stay well and manage chronic conditions close to home. Sharp Grossmont is nationally recognized for delivering compassionate, person-centered care. The hospital has earned Planetree’s Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centered Care and Magnet® designation for nursing excellence. Patients also benefit from integrative therapies, spiritual care, and advanced facilities, including a modern emergency department, critical care center, and the Burr Heart & Vascular Center. In 2025, Sharp Grossmont expanded its commitment to advanced care with the opening of the Sharp Grossmont Hospital for Neuroscience — San Diego’s first comprehensive center dedicated to complex brain and spine conditions. Additional honors include a Gold Standard Level 1 Accredited Senior-Friendly Emergency Department and recognition on Newsweek’s Best Maternity Hospitals list.
About Grossmont Healthcare District
The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) is a public agency created in 1952 that supports the health and wellness of East County through oversight of the Sharp Grossmont Hospital, the operation of a public Health & Wellness library, healthcare career scholarships for local students, and a community grants and sponsorships program. The district is governed by an elected Board of Directors who represent approximately 520,000 people residing within 750 square miles.
About Sharp HealthCare
Sharp HealthCare, San Diego’s largest and most comprehensive health care delivery system, is recognized for clinical excellence in cardiac, cancer, multi-organ transplantation, orthopedics, neuroscience, rehabilitation, behavioral health, women’s health, home health and hospice services. Sharp HealthCare has been widely acclaimed for its commitment to transform the health care experience for patients, physicians and staff through an organization-wide performance improvement initiative called The Sharp Experience. The Sharp HealthCare system includes four acute-care hospitals, five specialty hospitals, three affiliated primary care medical groups, a health plan and numerous outpatient facilities and programs, including the Sharp Prebys Innovation & Education Center. To learn more about Sharp, visit Sharp Health News.