WAUCHULA, Fla. — Millions of Americans live in primary care deserts; areas that don’t have enough healthcare professionals to provide basic medical care.
In Florida, these areas are mostly rural and require people to travel long distances just to see a doctor. Two counties in the Tampa Bay area are considered primary care deserts.
Primary Care Deserts In the Tampa Bay area
“We have to travel far in order to see a good doctor,” said Tchenavia Atkinson, who lives in Hardee County. The county has a population of about 25,000 people. It’s sparse and rural.
For many people who live here, finding a physician close to home is impossible.
“I see a doctor all the way in Lakeland,” said Atkinson.
In Hardee County, there's only one hospital.
“So, people who stay in Limestone, Zolfo, they all have to travel to Wauchula,” explained Atkinson.
Atkinson knows firsthand the challenges of medical care in Hardee County. When it comes to more specialized care – like what her grandmother needs – it’s an even worse situation.
“She has a lot of heart issues. She’s 87 years old, but she still has to travel to Sebring or either Tampa or Lakeland in order to see a good specialist because they just don’t have enough here,” said Atkinson. She said it can take months to get an appointment.
Hardee County isn’t the only primary care desert in the Tampa Bay area; Desoto County also doesn’t have an adequate number of physicians.
Physicians working in primary care deserts, on average, need to care for more patients. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, for every physician in Hardee and Desoto counties, there are more than 1,800 people. Compare that to Pinellas County, where for every physician, there are fewer than 900 people.
Dr. Victoria Selley with Advent Health Wauchula knows this struggle all too well.
“The challenges that we would face with our team in rural communities, it means that we are very busy. We see a lot of patients. We love seeing our patients, but it also means we have to sometimes be very savvy when we care for our patients,” said Dr. Selley; meaning getting as much done as possible in one office visit.
One negative impact of living in a primary care desert is that some people put off essential medical care, which can have long-term negative health effects.
“Sometimes, they wait until the last minute to come in. Sometimes, they wait for days or weeks before they come in to seek help,” said Dr. Selley.
Possible Solution
One way to close the gap in access to medical care is through telehealth which gives healthcare providers a chance to see patients virtually.
Teladoc is one of the companies at the forefront of making these services widespread through their “Primary Care 360” program, which was started during the pandemic in 2021.
“If you can’t really get to see that primary care doctor in person, this is a great way to be able to offer those services like getting your preventative screenings – because we can schedule those things – getting your annual labs, getting refills on your chronic medications,” said Dr. Tiffany Hendricks with Teladoc Health.
She said though this technology is making health care more accessible to more people, it doesn’t come without its difficulties, and it’s not the same as an in-person medical exam.
“You don’t get to touch a patient. So, that’s a big difference. So, then you end up having to spend a lot of time talking and getting to know the person,” explained Dr. Hendricks.
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