Rural care, recruiting focus of health care forum

HUNTINGTON -- Improving rural health care and recruiting more physicians were the focus of a presentation during Saturday's Appalachian Studies Annual Conference.

The lecture was given by Jennifer T. Plymale, director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health and assistant dean at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, and Deborah Curry, executive director of the Southwestern West Virginia Area Health Education Center.

"Our mission is to try to reduce the isolation that is often felt by rural communities," Plymale said.

She said the Center for Rural Health continues to look for tools to increase access across the state, from establishing mobile medical units to providing financial incentives to new physicians, if they agree to practice in rural areas.

Plymale said approximately 64 percent of West Virginians live in rural areas and 49 percent of children live below the poverty or low-income level.

Curry said physician recruitment should start early, and education concerning rural health-care needs should be a priority.

Young students need to be aware of what opportunities exist and have access to tools like advanced science and math classes in high school. She said many students don't have access to higher level courses and have to try to "catch up" in college.

Curry said many people can reach out to youths and catch their attention, and teachers are especially important. She said the creation of a science and health-care career club at Wayne High School in recent years has been a success. Each year the school chooses 40 to 50 of its top students for the club, which then goes on related field trips and hears regularly from speakers. Some have visited cadaver labs and mock crime scenes.

"It's fascinating for them," Curry said.

She said the experience lets students know whether the field they are considering is really what they want. She said students need things like advanced classes and mentors in order to do well in their field later.

"We have got to get to students in middle school or younger or they won't have the tools they need to succeed," she said.