By Patrick Roberts
MONROE, La. (KNOE 8 News) – There simply aren't enough doctors to go around, and many don't want to be here.
All twelve parishes in Northeast Louisiana face shortages of health providers -- some on a parish-wide level and some related to specific populations.
The designations are based on how many doctors per resident provide services, the poverty rate, the distance people have to travel to see a doctor, among others.
All told, over 80% of the state qualifies as a shortage area, because there just aren't enough healthcare providers.
"That's going to create a big big gap, because you have more people entering the retirement, and aging, who are going to need medical services," said Michael Echols of Affinity Health group. Part of his job is to recruit physicians.
"You need more primary care to take care of that, to take care of the basic ailments, the coughs, and any other thing that these people may get.
"The #1 biggest challenge we face is that we're not a big city," Echols continued.
Dr. Michael Caire added, "They want to go to a place where they can enjoy a quality of life, a future, a security, a place in which they want to have their children."
In some cases, it's simple math.
Operating in rural areas means treating poorer patients. Doctors are also getting less money from the government because of cuts to Medicaid and Medicare.
Some doctors are turning to specialized medicine, which tends to pay a little better, but that leaves fewer general practice physicians to take care of the colds, coughs, preventative care, and other services.
"We find that those born and raised here are much more likely to return," Echols said.
Leaders are also trying to lure more from the outside, but part of the way forward will have to involve patient education – teaching patients to take better care of themselves to ease strain on the healthcare system.
"Part of the responsibility has to be related to the performance of the patient as well," Caire said.
With more and more patients coming into the system, and fewer physicians around to take care of them, that patient responsibility will become more and more important.
