Doctors have been bemoaning changes in the practice of medicine for years, and with good reason. It’s harder and harder to make a go of it in private practice. In recent years our area has lost several small practices -- Hal Grotke’s Redwood Family Practice closed*, Dr. Garcia retired, Teresa Marshall’s solo office shut its doors, Eureka Internal Medicine transitioned to Humboldt Medical Specialists (which then became St. Joseph Hospital Medical Group), and Beverly Copeland relocated to Ashland. As I was writing this, Dr. Windham announced that he is ceasing the provision of primary care at his small office. Unfortunately, young, freshly trained physicians are not arriving here to take their places. Most recent graduates take positions with large organizations that can offer loan repayment funds, regular hours and steady salary. It’s no wonder new physicians want to be employees with reasonable pay and limited hours. If you are not working for yourself, there is no reason to b
Thoughts on health care reform and other local occurences