DOCTOR RECRUITMENT: TOUGH TO STAY EVEN

Aggressive physician recruitment efforts have paid off with the addition of nearly two dozen doctors this year. A number of these doctors are trained in primary care -- a critical need in the region. We welcome these new doctors to town.

Unfortunately, their presence hasn't solved the shortage of primary care doctors. That is because nearly the same number of doctors have left the area or retired in the last two years.

Southeast Missouri Hospital, St. Francis Medical Center, the Cape Girardeau County Medical Society and doctor groups have collaborated on stepped-up recruitment efforts in recent years. Without their efforts, Cape Girardeau might have found itself with fewer doctors.

The need for family doctors remains, evidenced by the large number of patients still treated in hospital emergency rooms for what should be office visits. One new family doctor said his practice of just seven weeks was already full.

New doctor recruitment is time consuming and competitive. Recruitment efforts start in medical school. Many doctors-to-be, especially those in family practice, receive numerous offers each week during the last part of their residencies. Many of the new doctors coming to town have ties to Missouri or the region. There is something to be said about growing your own.