Bay City Tribune

Representatives from Coastal Area Health Education Center (AHEC) delivered a healthcare development analysis to community and healthcare industry leaders of Matagorda County on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Bay City Civic Center, highlighting the current shortage of primary care, dental and mental health physicians in Matagorda County.

AHEC is a state funded organization that seeks to improve the health of Texas communities by developing a quality healthcare workforce and helping address unmet health needs.

The organization has partnered with the Texas Department of Rural Affairs in creating an Economic Analysis program to help communities identify the economic impact of local healthcare and plan for future development.

The organizations identified 27 communities throughout the state with underserved healthcare needs and choose seven to receive the analysis.

"Of (our) eight counties Matagorda County is the one that I nominated," said Leslie Hargrove, Executive Director of Coastal AHEC. "Matagorda County is a health profession shortage area."

Matagorda County currently has 39 physicians and 26 primary care physicians, with a combined average age of 54. Average office visits per year are just under 118,000 for a population of 37,265, estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Half of the county's population is over 45 years old, and with the increasing age and general population comes the increasing need for healthcare.

Hargrove noted that the county's designated as a health profession shortage area makes it eligible for a variety of programs to help address the needs.

The analysis presents three key planning components: immediate needs, intermediate needs and future needs of the community.

Matagorda County leaders must plan for the area's health needs using various strategies outlined by AHEC during the meeting.

AHEC provided a model for the health workforce recruitment and retention. Some of the challenges community leaders face are increasing health educational programs throughout the county and drawing in students to become the future providers of health services in the area.

Hargrove also discussed the huge economic impact that healthcare has on the county. One practicing physician, she said, brings $1.3 million of direct economic impact to a community between clinic and hospital revenue.

D.C. Dunham, Judge Nate McDonald and Mitch Thames discussed undertaking the tasks associated with setting up recruitment efforts and planning for the county's future healthcare needs within the Bay City-Matagorda United Phase Three steering committee.