HEATING OF THE DAY.
FOG WILL DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AND
INTO TOMORROW MORNING AND
TOMORROW AFTERNOON WE GET TO DO
IT ALL OVER AGAIN.
HIT OR MISS STORMS, THROUGH THE
WEEKEND.
>>> MEDICINE IS A CONSTANTLY
GROWING AND EVOLVING FIELD.
LEADING THE WAY IN INNOVATION
IS THE EDWARD VIA COLLEGE OF
OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE WERE HERE
IN ROANOKE.
HERE TODAY TO TELL ME ABOUT THE
SCHOOLS EFFORTS TO LEAD THE WAY
IN SHAPING THE FUTURE OF RURAL
HEALTH IS DIXIE.
SHE IS THE PRESIDENT OF ECOM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
ME.
LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
LATEST HEALTH STUDIES THAT TALK
ABOUT HEALTHCARE AND RURAL
AREAS, SPECIFICALLY SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA.WHAT DO THEY REVEAL?
>> THE RESEARCH STUDIES HAVE
PREDICTED ABOUT BY 2020 ABOUT
100,000 SHORTAGE AND WE JUST
ADDED REPORT THAT SHOWS WE HAVE
ABOUT A 65,000 PHYSICIAN
SHORTAGE NATIONWIDE
ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT AS HIGH AS
IT ONCE ONBECAUSE OF THE
GROWTH OF SCHOOLS AND
INCREASING CLASS SIZES OF
MEDICAL SCHOOLS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, IT IS STILL GOING TO
BE DAUNTING.
WE ARE STARTING TO FEEL IT NOW.
ESPECIALLY IN THE RURAL AREAS.
THE SECOND AND PROBABLY
GREATEST PROBLEM IS
MALDISTRIBUTIO
IT IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO
FIND A PHYSICIAN IN A RURAL
AREA
, AND FOR THE COMMUNITIES
IN RURAL AREAS TO
SUPPORT
PHYSICIANS .
>> EXACTLY.
HOW HAVE THESE FINDINGS HELPED
SHAPE YOUR MISSION THERE.
>> I THINK YOU HAVE TO FIND
SOMEONE WHO IS ALREADY
DEDICATED TO SMALL COMMUNITIES,
RURAL LIVING, AND WHO ENJOY THE
NON-URBAN LIFE.OUR MISSION IS
ABOUT PHYSICIANS FOR RURAL AND
MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AREAS.
MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED
POPULATIONS.
YOU HAVE TO REALLY RECRUIT
PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN
THAT.
WE HAVE FOCUSED ON THAT AND IN
DOING SO 20 PERCENT OF OUR
CLASSES, WHICH IF YOU LOOK AT
WE HAVE MORE THAN ONE CAMPUS,
SO 20 PERCENT OF OUR STUDENTS
COME FROM COMMUNITIES OF LESS
THAN 10,000.
48 PERCENT FROM COMMUNITIES OF
LESS THAN 30,000.
THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO GO BACK
TO RURAL AREAS.
WE HAVE TRIED TO FOCUS ON THAT.
WE ALSO FOCUSED ON MINORITY
POPULATIONS WHICH ARE
UNDERSERVED IN MANY AREAS OF
OUR COUNTRY.
IN FACT, NUMBER THREE IN THE
COUNTRY LAST YEAR FOR
AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS
ENROLLED IN MEDICAL SCHOOLS.
WE WERE EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
>> CONGRATULATIONS.
WHAT KIND OF IMPACT HAS THE
COLLEGE MADE ON THE CARE IN OUR
AREA WOULD YOU SAY?
>> THERE ARE IMPACTS BEYOND THE
PHYSICIANS BECAUSE WE ARE STILL
A YOUNG SCHOOL IN THAT ALMOST
HALF OF OUR 1900 GRADUATES ARE
STILL IN THEIR RESIDENCY
TRAINING.THE ONES THAT HAVE
COMPLETED WE HAVE 65 PERCENT OF
INNER CARE IN THE SOUTHERN
APPALACHIAN REGION.
WE ALSO HAVE 60 PERCENT IN
PRIMARY CARE
.
OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS TOTAL
SINCE WE STARTED
, 56 PERCENT SO
THAT IS STILL A GREAT NUMBER.
AND WE HAVE ABOUT 241
PHYSICIANS THAT HAVE GONE INTO
WHAT IS A RURAL
COUNTY , A TRULY
RURAL DESIGNATION .OVER 800
IN MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED
COUNTIES
WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THOSE
RESULTS.
>> I AM GLAD YOU ARE DOING WHAT
YOU ARE DOING.>> OUR STUDENTS
ARE REALLY CHOOSING PRIMARY
CARE BECAUSE ANOTHER GREAT
THING WE FOUND OUT THIS WEEK IS
WE ARE NUMBER TWO OF ALL
MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY.
FOR GRADUATES GETTING THE FIRST
CHOICE OF RESIDENCY.
YET WE ARE PRODUCING 60 PERCENT
TO PRIMARY CARE.
OUR STUDENTS ARE ACTUALLY
CHOOSING PRIMARY CARE.
SO WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
>> IF PEOPLE WANT MORE
INFORMATION AND WHERE TO FIND
HOW DO THEY DO THAT?
>> IT IS UNDER Z CALM OR
PROVIDE WE HAVE CAMPUSES, NOT
ONLY INTHE VIRGINIA TECH