To the rescue
Your Oct. 8 article “Recent medical school graduates train for underserved areas” reported on the UNC-Chapel Hill Family Medicine program which partners with the Prospect Hill Community Health Center to train and retain physicians to work in medically underserved rural areas. As a family nurse practitioner providing care in rural North Carolina, I strongly support any initiative that will improve access to quality care in our state.
This program is an excellent example of health care innovation that will improve access to care and quality care in vulnerable communities. But even great programs like this will not be enough to solve the access crisis in our state.
Each year thousands of North Carolinians become seriously or even critically ill because appropriate, timely primary care isn’t available. Workforce projections show that despite our best efforts, physician shortages will worsen. To truly address the current and increasing problem of inadequate access to primary care, all of our state’s health care workforce must be used to the full extent of our education, training and licensure. Nurse practitioners are part of the solution to our state’s access to care crisis!
Leslie M. Sharpe, RN
Family Nurse Practitioner, Pittsboro Family Medicine
Chair, N.P. Council, N.C. Nurses Association
Cary
