Mike Maples, CEO
There’s lots of talk in town and around the country about the shortage of primary care providers. Check out the March 10 editorial in the Herald-Republic if you didn’t see it (http://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/editorials/it-takes-community-to-attract-physicians/article_0fe8cfd2-051d-11e7-b3e8-df1a2ffc2c79.html )
Even people who love Yakima sometimes seem to love to hate it. Yes…we do have our obstacles to overcome. But compared to most small cities like us, with large rural service areas and agricultural economies, we have some advantages, too.
I’m proud that CHCW has played a major role in conferring the community’s greatest advantage in primary care physician recruitment: the Central Washington Family Medicine Residency program.
The YHR editorial makes the point that the College of Osteopathic Medicine at PNWU and the Elson S. Floyd School of Medicine in Spokane (coming August, 2017) will help, but it is residency training that determines the location and type of practice of doctors.
We should be concerned about the primary care shortage, and we should continue the full court press to hire and keep providers to serve the considerable needs here. But with a little bit of travel and listening, it becomes clear that, actually, we are doing pretty well. And, within our community, CHCW is doing especially well.
We have many to thank for our successes! Credit is owed to the Residency and our “grow your own” strategy. Our HR team – Laura McClintock, Director; Julie Finley, Provider Recruitment Specialist; and Terrie Jonas, Recruiter – have greatly improved our recruitment efforts in recent years. They rely on the exuberant participation of the vast network of CHCW providers and staff who interview, entertain, and impress our potential recruits. Your enthusiasm for your work and your community makes us shine.
Thank you all, for putting your best foot forward to bring providers to CHCW and to make this a great place for them to practice medicine every day!
