August 6, 2025

Structured Training for Rural Enhancement of Community Health in Obstetrics (STRETCH-OB) is a track within the Family Medicine Residency Program for residents who are committed to providing obstetrics in a rural or underserved community. This is a Health Resources and Services Administration-funded program and a collaboration between the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford’s Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital, as well as our rural partners. The purpose of the program is to reduce poor maternal and birth outcomes in rural and underserved areas by increasing the number of family medicine physicians with high-quality, evidence-based obstetrical skills who practice in these areas. Residents participating in this track will complete all of the requirements for board certification in family medicine as well as additional obstetrics and gynecology rotations and call to enhance their obstetrical skills.

Stephanie Werner, MD

The University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford Department of Family and Community Medicine congratulates the newest family medicine resident to complete the Structured Training for Rural Enhancement of Community Health in Obstetrics, or STRETCH-OB program: Stephanie Werner, MD!

Dr. Werner joined the STRETCH-OB program in her first year of the Family Medicine Residency Program, and, during her time with the program, she completed one-month rotations at Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital (now OSF Saint Katharine  Medical Center) in Dixon, Ill., Regional Medical Center in Manchester, Iowa, and OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg, Ill. She has accepted a position at UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital in Rockford as a family medicine physician with obstetrics. 

"As a family medicine resident at UICOMR, my goal was to learn full-spectrum care with the typical 'cradle-to-grave' family medicine mindset. The STRETCH OB program gave me the opportunity to incorporate prenatal care and deliveries (vaginal and cesareans) in my training. I had the chance to work in rural hospital settings that are the mainstay of prenatal care in many areas. Our sponsoring institution, UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital, has incredible obstetricians who have taught me not only everything I know, but they have also given me the resources to continue to learn. The program emphasizes a holistic family medicine approach, where you get to manage pregnant patients and follow mom and baby in the hospital, then get to see the whole family in the outpatient clinic. This program has opened many doors for my future, including surgical privileges for cesarean sections. I am truly grateful for the training I have received.” 

A key component of STRETCH-OB is one-month rotations at rural partners’ sites in the second and third years of residency training. Below we highlight two of our rural partners and their vital contributions to this program.

OSF St. Mary Medical Center is located in Galesburg, Ill., which has a population of 30,000. It serves Knox and Warren Counties, which have a combined population of approximately 67,000. St. Mary Medical Center has six obstetric providers, including two OB-GYN Physicians, three Family Medicine Physicians practicing obstetrics, and one Certified Nurse Midwife. Together, these providers performed 523 deliveries in 2024. 

OSF St. Mary Medical Center is located in Galesburg, Ill.

Dr. Melinda Feely, started as a family medicine and obstetrics physician at St. Mary Medical Center in 2019. She completed her family medicine residency at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Practicing in a rural area allows her to provide full-spectrum family medicine and be part of a close-knit community, and she shared that she loves running into patients outside of the clinic. Dr. Feely enjoys watching residents’ learning in action and finds that precepting residents keeps her practice up-to-date. When speaking about the STRETCH-OB residents that have been to OSF St. Mary Medical Center, Dr. Feely said, “We have all enjoyed working with them and have been impressed with their skill set and management of our patients.”

Melinda Feely, MD

Another rural partner is Regional Medical Center (RMC), a Critical Access Hospital located in Manchester, Iowa. The town of Manchester has around 5,000 inhabitants. The service area for RMC spans seven counties and includes approximately 23,000 people. RMC is the largest employer in Delaware County, Iowa, where it is located and provided over 500 jobs in 2021. The obstetric services are composed of seven providers, including five family medicine physicians, one OB-GYN Physician and one Certified Nurse Midwife. These providers performed 218 deliveries in 2024.

Regional Medical Center (RMC), a Critical Access Hospital is located in Manchester, Iowa.

Dr. Grace Wang is an OB-GYN physician who began practice at RMC in 2018. She graduated from UICOMR in 1995 and completed her OB-GYN residency at Grand Rapids Medical Education Partners. Dr. Wang did not become a physician with the intention of practicing in a rural area. She began her practice in a Chicago suburb, but after years of toiling in a corporate practice, she moved to Wyoming about ten years ago. In Wyoming, she became involved in the ACOG and “realized I could be the voice and advocate for rural women.” Desire to be closer to family brought her to Manchester, Iowa. Of her current practice, she says, “I love building relationships with my patients, and then their sisters, mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and friends.” 

Grace Wang, MD

Lilian Ameh, MD, completed our STRETCH-OB program track and graduated from the Family Medicine Residency Program in June 2024. She now practices full-spectrum family medicine in rural New Mexico and has C-section privileges. During her time as a STRETCH-OB resident, Dr. Ameh completed rural rotations at HSHS St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield, Ill., and Christian Medical College in Vellore, India.

“If, as a resident, you’re looking to be a rural doctor, to work in a small community, then STRETCH-OB is the way to go. I would say it prepares you for a whole lot more than a regular family medicine residency ever would,” says Dr. Ameh. “So, if you have dreams or aspirations for something beyond the scope of just regular outpatient family medicine, then explore STRETCH-OB, because it will expose you to a lot of things that will help shape your future and your practice.”

Lilian Ameh, MD

We are excited to share information about the residents continuing to participate in STRETCH-OB next year.

Five PGY1s have expressed interest in the program, and their skills will be evaluated over the first six months (July-December 2025) of their PGY1 year to finalize entry into the program.

Applications open September 2025, learn about how to apply from the STRETCH-OB Application Process. 

1601 Parkview Ave.
Rockford, IL 61107
Phone: 815-395-5707 | Email: kmontel@uic.edu