In an effort a state senator says will “strengthen health care” in Northern New York, planning is underway for tours to help introduce medical students to potential careers locally, as well as help hospitals struggling to recruit primary care doctors.

Made possible through $100,000 in state budget funding, “Take a Look” tours, which are being planned for the fall, will provide physician residents with the opportunity to visit hospitals, outpatient clinics or physician practices throughout Central and Northern New York and at the same time, help address the issue of physician shortages.

“There is a critical need for physicians in rural areas across New York State, and especially here in the North Country,” said Sen. Patty Ritchie, R-Heuvelton.

Ritchie, who serves as co-chair of the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources, a group that works to address challenges that are unique to rural parts of the state, said “by visiting the hospitals, clinics, and private practices in our region, physician residents will see the opportunities for professional development, along with the impact that they can have on the quality of life for their patients. This special opportunity will also give physician residents gain an understanding of what we all know – that Upstate New York is a great place to live, to work, and to raise their families.”

A study by the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), nearly three-quarters of rural hospitals across the state do not have enough primary care providers to meet current patient needs.

The study, which included responses from over 100 hospitals from around the state—with more than half from the Upstate region— found that:

· 81 percent of hospitals indicated that primary care physicians are “very difficult to recruit;”

· In rural counties, the physician supply per 100,000 individuals is 81—compared to the state average of 114;

· Half of rural hospitals surveyed have had to reduce or eliminate services due to lack of provider ability; and

· Thirty percent of New York’s physicians are over the age of 60.