A new state‑backed rural doctor training program in Missouri appears to already be paying off.
Dr. Jared James with MU Health Care said the program is already underway in the mid‑Missouri towns of Versailles and California.
“From some of the statistics that we have from the Department of Health and Senior Services, we are short more than 600 primary care physicians in Missouri, and that will only be growing,” said James. “The rural areas are disproportionately affected, and this is at least one way that we’re working in conjunction with the state to help meet that need.”
Now the focus turns to whether it might grow to reach more rural areas.
“That would be our hope over time,” said James. “This is a grant that stands throughout the state. So, we’re going to look for more opportunities. January was the first that we had our residents joining these clinics. We’ve had tremendous success. We’ve had more than 150 patient visits in January alone at each of these sites in California and Versailles.”
James explained different physicians’ experiences with practicing in different areas.
“You may talk with physicians, and we find that there’s different experiences compared to practicing in an urban area, suburban, or practicing in a rural setting,” said James. “Getting that experience, having that exposure, makes our residents more comfortable with this and hopefully more likely to practice in these areas.”
James said the program also includes extra training in addiction medicine.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services awarded MU Health with a $125,000 grant to make the program a reality.
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