EXCERPT: “Rural health care providers, such as CentraCare in Willmar and St. Cloud, are facing some challenging numbers, and not just financially. While 20% of the country’s population lives in rural communities, only 11% of physicians practice in those same areas. Compounding the problem is the fact that only 4% of medical students are from rural areas, and those are the students who are more likely to return to practice in their hometown regions. Then there is the aging population. People over the age of 65 are projected to soon, and may already, outnumber those under the age of 18. And rural doctors are getting older too, with the age of a practicing doctor now averaging 59, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Health . There are not enough younger medical professionals to replace those leaving and to care for the growing number of older patients.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/3VFMfcM
