This is a MedPage Today story.
HAVANA, Fla. -- For a rural community, this town of 1,750 people has been more fortunate than most. A family doctor has practiced here for the last 30 years.
But that ended in December when Mark Newberry, MD, retired. To attract a new doctor, Havana leaders took out want ads in local newspapers, posted notices on social media, and sweetened the pot with a rent-free medical office equipped with an x-ray, an ultrasound machine, and a bone density scanner -- all owned by the town.
Local leaders hope the recruitment campaign will help attract candidates amid a nationwide shortage of doctors.
"This is important for our community," said Kendrah Wilkerson, Havana's town manager, "in the same way that parks are important and good future planning is important."
According to a Florida Department of Health report, doctor shortages affect all or part of nearly every county, but less populous counties, such as Gadsden, where Havana is located, have the...
February 16