SIU GETS GOOD IDEA TO PROVIDE DOCTORS

A recent Southern Illinois University report found Southern Illinois suffers from a doctor shortage. The finding certainly isn't startling.

That message has been echoed in town after town in rural America, especially in the field of family practice. Frankly, it is hard for smaller communities to compete in terms of pay and benefits for doctor recruits, especially in areas that are economically depressed.

But the report went a step further than merely sounding an alarm. It called on the Southern Illinois University campuses to train more doctors in Carbondale as a way to increase their interest in serving rural communities. The university conducts most of its medical training at its Springfield campuses.

It is a simple but astute idea: To bring more doctors to the region, grow your own. With ties to Southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri, these doctors-in-training will be more apt to return home to practice.

SIU's practical approach to help stem the doctor shortage in this region is commendable. The shift to Carbondale would require a commitment of money and manpower. The Illinois Board of Education should lend its support.

Areas with doctor shortages can't depend on the federal government to solve the problem. This is just the kind of pro-active approach that universities and communities must embrace to bring more good doctors home.