In Rural Areas, There May Be No Doctors to Tend to Your Sick Kid

From Time’s Healthland:

Nearly 1 million American children living mostly in rural areas have no doctor to call if they get a get a sore throat or an ear infection. Meanwhile, some metropolitan areas are crawling with family physicians and pediatricians — about one doctor for every 140 kids in some places. As a result, children in more urban areas have better access to health care, reports a new study published online this week in the journal Pediatrics.

There are plenty of policy implications inherent in the study, but for parents, it comes down to this: you either have a doctor you can take your child to, or you don’t.

The new research shows there are essentially equal numbers of kids who live in areas of abundant supply or undersupply. There are 15 million children — 20% of kids in the U.S. — who live in areas where child health care is plentiful. But another 15 million live in enclaves in nearly every state where the ratio of pediatricians and family physicians is 22 for every 100,000 kids. That’s a patient load of more than 4,500 kids per doctor.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2010/12/21/sick-kid-if-you-live-in-a-rural-area-there-may-be-no-doctors/#ixzz18lmmTs82

Wellness Reading List: Five Top Picks of 2010

From the Wall Street Journal:

When it comes to books about medicine and health, people tend to crack them open in times of need: to research a medical problem, get advice on living a healthier lifestyle or find inspiration from fellow patients.

This year’s crop offers plenty of practical advice, including insights from doctors who shared their own experiences with a health crisis to illuminate the way for patients. Here are five that stood out among dozens that crossed my desk in 2010:

“After the Diagnosis: Transcending Chronic Illness,” by Julian Seifter with Betsy Seifter

“Back to Life After a Heart Crisis: A Doctor and His Wife Share Their 8-Step Cardiac Comeback Plan,” by Marc Wallack and Jamie Colby

“Stress Less: The New Science That Shows Women How to Rejuvenate the Body and the Mind,” by Thea Singer

“The Decision Tree: Taking Control of Your Health in the New Era of Personalized Medicine,” by Tom Goetz

“Stay Healthy at Every Age: What Your Doctor Wants You to Know,” by Shantanu Nundy

Des Moines University names Franklin as new president

Des Moines University, the second oldest Osteopathic medical school and the fifteenth largest medical school (allopathic or osteopathic) in the United States, has named a new president.  From The Des Moines Register:

Des Moines University announced Monday that an administrator from a Tennessee medical school will become its next president.

Angela Walker Franklin will replace Terry Branstad, who retired in October 2009 to campaign successfully for his old job as governor.

Franklin is executive vice president and provost at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. The 800-student school has historically catered to black students studying medicine and related subjects. Des Moines University has 1,821 students in nine programs, including osteopathic medicine, podiatry and physical therapy.

She said Monday that she was attracted to Des Moines University’s emphasis on training health professionals to provide primary care. “There are a lot of schools that really focus more on research,” she said. “Now, not to say that Des Moines University doesn’t do research, but their primary reason for being is … delivery of health care in a very socially conscious kind of way, taking care of the needs of the people.”

Although she has not studied osteopathy, she said she appreciates its emphasis on considering patients’ entire situations, including their physical and mental health. “As a psychologist, that resonates quite a bit with me.”

Branstad, who was hired in 2003, was credited with raising millions of dollars for the university, sprucing up the campus and increasing enrollment 50 percent.

Franklin said the school still has the potential to grow, including by adding new programs. She declined to speculate on what those might be.