New $2.4 million investment in medical training program promises to put more doctors on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, help prevent high rate of premature deaths in region
Those who live in the Eastern Shore of Maryland can expect to live shorter lives: as much as seven years in some rural counties. That’s largely because residents of counties like Caroline and Kent County don’t have easy access to health care to help diagnose and manage chronic health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. In an effort to increase physician density in these rural areas, the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) last year launched its Rural-MD Scholars program, to train and place up to 10 students a year in Eastern Shore healthcare practices.
As the first class of three students completed their first year of medical school, the program received a large influx in funding from state ($1.4 million) and an anonymous donor ($1 million) that will provide full scholarships to 9 new students next year. These students all commit to practicing for four years on the Eastern shore after finishing their residency training.
“One in four residents on the Eastern Shore live at least 10 miles from a hospital, which increases the risk of delayed treatment,” said Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Dean of UMSOM. “Caroline County, for example, has only one physician for every 2,500 residents, which is six times lower than the physician density in other parts of the state. We need to do what we can to fix this problem.”
View full update on the program here: bit.ly/43IvAcU
Take a look at the graphic below to see how efforts to increase physician density on the Eastern shore can lower the rate of preventable deaths from heart disease.
More Doctors, Longer Lives: Preventing Heart Disease Deaths in Rural Maryland
Rates of preventable heart disease deaths were found to be significantly higher in rural areas compared to large central suburban areas throughout Maryland. A major reason cited by federal health researchers for this disparity was lack of access to health care. Increasing physician density in rural areas could reduce the rate of preventable deaths.
