KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |27 Texas counties have no doctor
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Associated Press - September 6, 2009 7:55 PM ET
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A shortage of primary care physicians in Texas is expected to worsen as doctors go into more lucrative specialties.
There are 27 Texas counties that have no doctor at all, including Motley County in the Panhandle.
The CEO of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, Tom Banning, said that the number of primary care doctors the state produces hasn't kept pace with its birth rate and the influx of residents from other states.
In Texas, 114 of the 254 counties have been designated by the federal government as primary care shortage areas. Some clinics spend months trying to lure doctors, and some patients drive one or two counties away for even the most routine health care.
Information from:
Austin American-Statesman, http://www.statesman.com
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
