AUGUSTA, GA ( WJBF) — Scotty Hall says being a doctor has been a life long dream
” I can’t think of something that I would rather do where I would feel more needed and part of that is I want to practice somewhere would I feel needed as well,” Hall said.
He and other students at the Medical College of Georgia are part of an interest group for a program that would put them into rural areas in Georgia to help with the shortage of physicians.
Peach State Health Plan presented a $5.2 million grant to help fund MCG 3+, an accelerated medical school curriculum that has been developed to recruit, train, and place more primary care physicians in underserved communities around Georgia.
“This will address the physician shortage by encouraging medical students to stay in Georgia by reducing their debt load by paying their tuition,” Dr. David Hess, dean of the Medical College of Georgia said.
For years, people living in those areas have struggled with access to health care
18 of Georgia’s 159 counties don’t have a family medicine physician and 9 counties have no doctor at all
” If you live in these rural counties you’re really at a disadvantage because you may not be able to access a physician, or nurse practitioner or anything,” Hess said.
Hall said growing in Laurens County he saw the problem firsthand
” I drive through some of those counties when I’m going to Augusta or Athens, so I know about it all too well,” Hall said.
Now he wants to be part of the solution by going back into the communities where he’s needed most
” I think its really important to get physicians out there and I’m excited to be one of those physicians in the future.
