For many of us, healthcare is just a phone call or a short drive away. But what if there were no doctors in your county? What if you had no access to equitable and high-quality healthcare?

For far too many people these questions are not hypothetical. They are reality. Consider this: Nine counties in Georgia have no doctors at all. None.

The crisis is especially acute in rural and other underserved areas, but it is not contained there. The United States is facing a shortage of physicians, particularly in primary care and in rural and disadvantaged areas. This is costing our economy billions of dollars in excess healthcare expenditures, lost productivity, emergency room visits, hospital stays, and chronic illnesses. The repercussions radiate, raising premiums and hurting the nation’s healthcare system as a whole.

African-American physicians, particularly, are scarce at time when the number of African-American patients is steadily rising. As the country becomes more diverse, so too should its healthcare professions. Yet this diversity remains an ongoing challenge. The number of underrepresented minorities who enter medical school still lags.

The crisis is especially acute in rural and other underserved areas, but it is not contained there. The United States is facing a shortage of physicians, particularly in primary care and in rural and disadvantaged areas. This is costing our economy billions of dollars in excess healthcare expenditures, lost productivity, emergency room visits, hospital stays, and chronic illnesses. The repercussions radiate, raising premiums and hurting the nation’s healthcare system as a whole.

African-American physicians, particularly, are scarce at time when the number of African-American patients is steadily rising. As the country becomes more diverse, so too should its healthcare professions. Yet this diversity remains an ongoing challenge. The number of underrepresented minorities who enter medical school still lags.

Why does this matter? Research has found that minority physicians are more likely to treat, understand, and build trust with minority patients. As disenfranchised communities continue to be underserved, the health of the nation suffers.

Some medical schools may acknowledge these problems.
But Morehouse School of Medicine is leading the way toward real solutions.