Emplify Health Secured Psychiatry Residency Accreditation
The La Crosse healthcare system earned accreditation for its 10th residency program, aiming to address physician shortages.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Mental Health
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Emplify Health by Gundersen received accreditation for a new psychiatry residency program in the fall of 2026. This initiative is designed to increase the local physician workforce and address the regional need for psychiatric services.
Why it matters
The program is intended to mitigate critical physician shortages in La Crosse and surrounding rural areas. By expanding clinical training, the initiative seeks to bolster the local availability of psychiatric care.
The new psychiatry residency is the 10th such program at Emplify Health by Gundersen. Once the four-year program reaches full capacity, it will host 12 psychiatry residents, with three new residents entering the program each year.
The players
Emplify Health by Gundersen
This regional healthcare system provides medical services throughout La Crosse and the surrounding areas.
Dr. Emily Rae
She serves as the lead for the newly accredited psychiatry residency program.
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
This organization is responsible for evaluating and accrediting graduate medical education programs across the United States.
The details
Led by Dr. Emily Rae, the curriculum met rigorous standards for faculty qualifications, supervision, and clinical evaluation. The system received a grant from the state Department of Health Services to support recruitment and faculty engagement for this training pathway.
Timeline
The psychiatry residency program received accreditation in the fall of 2026.
The first class of residents is expected to begin training in July 2027.
Health Landscape
This program aligns with the state Department of Health Services workforce development grant to expand regional medical training pipelines. It marks a targeted effort to address local physician shortages by integrating specialized psychiatric training into the rural clinical landscape.
Patients in La Crosse and the rural Gundersen region may eventually see improved access to psychiatric services as the residency program increases the total number of providers in the area. This development suggests a long-term strategy to ensure more consistent mental healthcare availability for local residents.
The takeaway
The residency program demonstrates how medical systems use graduate education to combat regional healthcare staffing deficits. Prospective residents and patients in the region should monitor the launch of this program as it scales toward full capacity by the end of the four-year cycle.
Further reading
For more information on regional medical initiatives, visit the Mental Health section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WXOW.
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