Noting the inequities exposed in U.S. health care by the COVID-19 pandemic, a California Health Report opinion article says that the physician shortage will only exacerbate the future health of our nation. Growing minority populations that remain underrepresented in health and medical occupations mean that people of color will have less trusted physicians who speak their language or understand their cultures, the article says.

“The health and wellbeing of all Americans is dependent on trusted messengers and robust provider access in communities currently underserved by our health care systems. Thus, it is imperative that the physician shortage be addressed with the aim of both increasing physician numbers and diversifying the field to include more doctors who share language, ethnicity and cultural norms with their patients.”

Physician Retraining & Reentry (PRR) welcomes participants of all minority groups, as addressing the number of primary care physicians alone won’t close the inequality gap in healthcare.