Press Release

Release Date: September 28, 2009
HRCHC Contact: Communications Department
Telephone: (207) 861-3466
Email: Communications@HealthReach.org

Albion’s Dr. Forrest West recertified by American Board of Family Medicine

LEXINGTON, KY and ALBION, ME – The American Board of Family Medicine is pleased to announce the successful completion of its Recertification Examination by Forrest West, MD, a medical provider at Lovejoy Health Center in Albion, Maine.

Board certification confers a standard of excellence in knowledge and practice to physicians who not only certify via the examination process, but who also work diligently on the maintenance of these skills during the seven-year cycle between examinations.

To achieve recertification by the ABFM, a family physician must verify the completion of 300 hours of acceptable continuing medical education over the past six years; possess a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States; and successfully complete a one-day, written examination of cognitive knowledge and problem-solving abilities. This examination covers the disciplines of the specialty including, but not limited to: adult medicine, care of newborns, infants, children, and adolescents; maternity and gynecological care; community medicine; care of the older patient; human behavior and mental health; and care of the surgical patient.

The ABFM is one of twenty-four Member Boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties, and is the second largest medical specialty board in the United States. Founded in 1969, it is a voluntary, not-for-profit private organization whose purposes include improving the quality of medical care available to the public, establishing and maintaining standards of excellence in the specialty of Family Medicine; improving the standards of medical education for training in Family Medicine, and determining by evaluation the fitness of specialists in Family Medicine who apply for and hold certificates.

Additional information regarding the ABFM may be obtained from its website at www.theabfm.org.

Lovejoy Health Center is part of HealthReach Community Health Centers (HRCHC), a system of eleven federally qualified health centers and two dental centers in central and western Maine. Dedicated providers deliver first-class healthcare to citizens in over 80 rural communities. To ensure access for everyone, HRCHC accepts major insurances, Medicare, MaineCare, and offers an Affordable Care Program based on family size and income to uninsured and underinsured residents. A private, non-profit organization with a 30-year history, HRCHC is funded by patient fees, grants and individual donations.

You can learn more on the web: www.lovejoychc.org.