Would a medical school at UC Merced fix the county’s doctor shortage?
However, there was no corresponding increase in doctors to accept those patients who suddenly could afford to pay, according to
"Regardless of
More than half of
"It has to do with demographics and income," he said, and the amount doctors make is "if not the most important reason, it's in the top three in my opinion."
To help combat the problem, Grassi said, the Alliance has worked in recent years to increase reimbursement rates for doctors who accept
No short-term solutions, only long-term goals
The closure of
And it seems that every solution is a long-term fix, years away from making a significant difference.
Many
Regents gave the
"What's frustrating is a medical school was always part of the vision of having UC Merced," Assemblyman
But it may never happen.
Within the last year, some UC officials have suggested a university medical school might not be the answer to the Valley's doctor shortages.
At the very least, a medical school is a long-term goal years away and many low-income patients need solutions now.
Establishing medical residency programs in
Last year, Gray helped bring about
Residency programs, however, also are not a permanent fix because frequently doctors leave the community for higher-paying practices in other communities once their residency term ends.
So, where do we find the doctors?
One possible solution, Gray said, is for
Programs that can encourage younger kids to go into the medical field eventually could ease the doctor shortage in
The most recent initiative to combat health access by the UC was the San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education, or SJV PRIME, established in 2011, according to
The program collaborates with UC Merced,
Gray worked on legislation to increase the number of slots in the program, adding 1.6 million to the program in 2013.
"That's a program that's identifying that population of students who come from here because that's our best hope," Gray said. "It helps bring students from the Valley, back to the Valley with the hope that they are going to stay in the Valley."
Although students aren't required to practice in the Valley after entering SJV PRIME, Nikaido said, they look for students who have an interest in working with undeserved populations.
"The most impactful thing you can do to bring health care professional into a community is to increase the residency programs," Gray said.
In the meantime, the
"So we're trying to bring in more providers in. Maybe they're not in the community but they'll be available," Bishop said.
But, long term, many are still hoping for a medical school at the university.
Bishop agreed a medical school would help train people locally, saying it "would be a very good thing" for the community.
"The community can't dig itself out," Gray said. "We need some investments that change trajectory of our future and the UC is a big part of that."
This story is the final in a three-part series.
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