Question for any doctors or nurses here re: rural/remote medical care

[theHandpuppet]

Are there any foundations/organizations in the U.S. dedicated to providing assistance or incentives for doctors and nurses to practice in remote and/or rural areas of this country? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Not an MD, but

here in Arkansas there is an extensive Home Health program in which a lot of nurses are employed. I'm thinking there might be state programs encouraging doctors to put up their shingles in small towns; I know that there are MDs in the little towns around here. (We're talking under 500 population)

[Deb]

2. There is a national rural health association

http://www.nrharural.org/

http://www.nrharural.org/opporty/sub/links.html


We have a rural health network in NY, funding comes from NYS grants. Sorry for jumping in but I know what it's like to live in a rural town w/o a Dr. and grants helped a local kid start a thriving practice.

[theHandpuppet]

3. The reason I'm asking is...

A friend of ours -- who was a physician in rural Alaska -- just passed away and my partner and I were interested in making a donation to any foundation that supports remote or rural medical care in this country, a cause in which she passionately believed. We thought it would be a fitting tribute. I'm just having a hard time finding such a foundation or organization outside the federal/state grants type of thing.

[Sgent]

4. Community Health Centers / Primary Care Association

I would recommend contacting these people: The Alaska Primary Care Association. They are an organization made up of Community Health Centers in Alaska (exclusively).

Community Health Centers (CHC's) are partially federally funded, non-profit 501(c)3's whose mission is to bring primary medical and dental care to medically underserved areas throughout the US. They hire nurses, physicians, etc., provide health services to everyone regardless of cost, etc. For more information, take a look at www.bphc.hrsa.gov or www.nachc.org .

I'm not familiar with the Alaska association in particular, but have worked extensively with the state primary care associations in the southeast. The director's usually have a tight relationship with the medically underserved providers throughout the state, and should have a good idea who could put the money to best use. I suggest Alaska for obvious reasons.

http://www.alaskapca.org /

Good luck, and I'm sorry for your loss.

[theHandpuppet]

5. Thank you so much!

We'll be reviewing the information you provided and will share anything we find out.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

6. The US Public Health Service, of which the Surgeon General is the head.

http://usphs.gov/

It's a uniformed corps of health care workers--most are in public health, but it has a mission to provide care in underserved areas:

http://www.usphs.gov/html/mission.html

For example, the military services offer medical school scholarships under the HPSP (Health Professions Scholarships Program I believe), where for every year of medical school paid for, you owe a year of service as a doctor after your training is done. For the military you will pay back your scholarship as a military doctor.

The Public Health Service has much the same deal except you pay back your obligation as a PHS doctor in an underserved area, usually a American Indian reservation community etc. Remember the doc in the TV show "Northern Exposure"? If I recall that's what he was doing in the show, paying back a PHS scholarship. A noble and good thing.

[Sgent]

7. Your correct

my mother was a Lt. Col. in the PHS as a physician. It does more than pay your debt -- it also pays you the officer salary. The revenue the clinic brings in can be used to pay staff, nurses, etc -- or buy equipment.

That being said, the PHS doesn't accept donations per se. It is a federally funded division of the Dept of Health & Human Services which reports to the Surgeon General.