In a northern California valley stretching under miles of bright blue sky between two snowy volcanic peaks, Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta, Daniel Dahle is known as a godsend, a friend, a lifesaver, a companion until the end.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more than three decades, \u201cDoc\u201d Dahle has been the physician in Bieber, serving a region about the size of five smaller U.S. states. When he started, he was one of five doctors in the region. Today he is joined by only one other full-time physician.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 71, Dahle has delayed retirement for years \u2014 waiting for someone to take his place.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was going to retire November 8th of last year; it was going to be a third of a century,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s tough to recruit young new vibrant family practitioners or internists or pediatricians to come up here.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, Dahle\u2019s situation is not unique.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
California is facing a growing shortage of primary care physicians, one that is already afflicting rural areas and low-income inner city areas, and is forecasted to impact millions of people within ten years. Not enough newly minted doctors are going into primary care, and a third of the doctors in the state are over 55 and looking to retire soon, according to a study<\/a> by the Healthforce Center at UC-San Francisco. The federal government recommends 60 to 80 primary care doctors per 100,000 people. In California, the number already is down to just 50 \u2014 and in particular areas, it\u2019s even lower.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n That means by 2030, the state is going to be in dire need of physicians. Studies show the state could be down by as many as 10,000 primary care clinicians, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Some areas \u2014 the Central Valley, Central Coast and Southern Border region \u2014 will be hit especially hard. So too will be remote rural and inner-city residents, communities of color, the elderly, those with mental illness or addiction, and those without health coverage. Many people will be forced to wait longer for doctor visits, travel longer distances to see someone, and may become so discouraged they forego preventative care and even care for chronic, serious disease until emergency treatment is necessary. The federal government\u2019s Council on Graduate Medical Education recommends 60 to 80 primary care doctors per 100,000 people. Statewide in California, the number <\/a>already is down to just 50 per 100,000 \u2014 and in some places it\u2019s even lower: down to 35 in the Inland Empire and 39 in the San Joaquin Valley, according to a report from The Future Health Workforce Commision. Among the causes of the physician shortage:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n