The Nevada Independent: In the boomtown that never went bust, retirees face barriers accessing primary care

The Nevada Independent on Sunday delved into the issue of health care in rural communities.

Gerald Ackerman, director of Rural Programs for University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, during an interview at the Nevada Health Center in Elko on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. (Jeff Scheid/The Nevada Independent)

Physician shortages aren a problem in Elko, along with rest of the state and nationwide. Studies have shown that the lack of doctors is a nationwide problem and that the U.S. will face a shortage of between 40,800 and 104,900 physicians by 2030.

But out of all 50 states, the problem is particularly acute in Nevada, and the problem is worse in the state’s rural and frontier counties. Nevada ranked 47th in the nation for active physicians, with about one doctor for every 500 residents, according to a 2017 report from the Association of American Colleges.

The state fares even worse when it come to primary care, ranking 48th with one primary care physician for every 1,426 residents. By comparison, the top performing state, Massachusetts, has one doctor for every 744 residents. And in Elko, there’s one primary care physician for every 2,492 residents, according to a recent community health assessment for the Elko County Health Board.

To read the full story, click here.