Community health centers say they are having trouble recruiting and retaining primary care physicians. As CT Public Radio’s Nicole Leonard reports, that could lead to gaps in care – especially for vulnerable populations.
Read the full article and listen to the audio of the WNPR report.
Norwalk Community Health Center is featured in this story. Here a few excerpts:
Providers at community health centers said a combination of lower wages, difficult work, and a lack of financial incentives for clinicians in the state is preventing centers from attracting the doctors they need.
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report projects that by 2025, Connecticut will be short about 4.7% of primary care physicians needed to meet demand. Meanwhile, the report estimates that other New England states such as Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont will sufficiently meet demand.
Finances, especially loan debt, remain a significant concern among medical students as they consider where to do their residency training and continue their careers.
The now frozen Connecticut Student Loan Repayment Program was designed to address health professional shortages and disparities in health care access. It repaid a portion of a physician’s loan debt in exchange for that doctor’s work in medically under-served areas.
Read the full article and listen to the audio of the WNPR report.
