Dr. Bruce Kessler and Providence St. Joseph Hospital’s family medicine residency program

“Everyone should know that it was philanthropy that brought us a family residency program — as good as any in the country — that is now helping alleviate our physician shortage.”

Although he was born and raised in New York City, Bruce Kessler, M.D., can easily be considered an honorary Humboldt County native, having lived and practiced medicine here for 46 years. And despite his big city roots, he recently joined the esteemed group of Humboldt County physicians who have earned the state-wide Frederick K.M. Plessner Memorial Award, which annually honors the California physician who best exemplifies the ethics and practice of a rural country practitioner.  

“It was a real honor for me to have been nominated and then chosen for this award,” Dr. Kessler said. “Especially because it puts me in excellent company with other local physicians who have won the award. We have some remarkable doctors in Humboldt County.”   

Dr. Kessler’s focus now is on the future of Providence Humboldt health care and finding solutions for the physician shortage. Since 2015, Dr. Kessler has been instrumental in the planning and creation of the family medicine residency program, a partnership between Providence St. Joseph Hospital and the Open Door Community Health Centers.  

“We have all of the components to make a great family medicine residency program,” Dr. Kessler says. “So basically, on a handshake, the hospital and Open Door said, ‘let’s put our resources together and start our own family medicine residency program.’”  

This inspired idea has culminated so far in three graduating classes and six new physicians who have committed to staying in Humboldt County. 

The creation of the residency program was no small feat, requiring substantial resources and philanthropic support. Dr. Kessler is pleased to have been a member of the team that overcame these challenges and obtained accreditation for the Family Medicine Residency Program. Today, the residency program serves as a vital pipeline for training future generations of primary care physicians, addressing the critical shortage in our community.  

Moreover, the hospital’s partnership with Open Door Community Health Centers has facilitated hands-on training for family medicine residents, ensuring they receive a comprehensive inpatient and outpatient experience. By assigning residents patient panels and immersing them in primary care settings, it reinforces the importance of continuity of care and patient-centered approaches.  

“We knew that this whole effort of getting the residency program off the ground was going to take a lot of money,” Dr. Kessler says. “And this money was raised through philanthropy. Everyone should know that it was philanthropy that brought us a family residency program — as good as any in the country — that is now helping alleviate our physician shortage.”  

When Dr. Kessler chose to build a career in Humboldt County, he quickly learned what so many rural physicians face. “What’s special about this area is that you realize that if we don’t provide these services to our community, it may mean the difference between life and death,” he says. “When I finished medical school, I recognized that I could spend my whole career in Manhattan practicing medicine. But at the end of my career, what difference would I have made in anything? In a place like Humboldt, you really feel like you do make a difference because if you don’t do something, it may not get done.”  

To learn more about Destination Humboldt and how you can help bring physicians to Humboldt County, please contact senior associate philanthropy officer Erin Young at Erin.R.Young@providence.org or 707-269-4275.