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Georgia faced with shortage of doctors
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ATLANTA — Georgia is looking for answers as it confronts a looming shortage of doctors.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Sunday that projections show the state will fall about 5,000 physicians short of needed levels by 2030.

The state will be under pressure to loosen its tight restrictions on nurse practitioners and physician assistants to meet demands for care. Such professionals can take some of the load off doctors by seeing patients. But many doctors oppose changing the rules, which they say helps protect quality patient care. Some physicians have fought for years against state legislation aimed at giving nurse practitioners greater autonomy.

Georgia is ranked 41st nationally for its supply of doctors. Already, medical schools are preparing for the transition to a system where health-care providers other than doctors play a more vital role in medicine.

Schools are training a range of professionals to employ a team-based approach to health care.

“We have to choose to do what I think the numbers demand,” said Dr. Wright Caughman, Emory University’s executive vice president for health affairs.

Georgia has some of the nation’s most restrictive regulations for health professionals like physician assistants.

Unlike Georgia, some states allow nurse practitioners to order an MRI or prescribe a narcotic without a doctor’s approval. Georgia also requires a formal written agreement with a doctor that spells out medical tasks a nurse practitioner can perform.

Other states, including Washington and Arizona, allow nurse practitioners to practice independently without a doctor’s oversight.

How states choose to regulate nurse practitioners and other providers is going to be the critical difference in how states make sure their residents have care, said Tay Kopanos, director of health policy for state affairs at the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

“Unfortunately, a lot of states have not kept pace,” Kopanos said. “Provisions put in place decades ago are really no longer protecting the public.”

Many doctors in Georgia disagree. Dr. John Moore, an Atlanta obstetrician, said he fears patients won’t see physicians as often — if at all — as professionals other than doctors fill in gaps created by the shortage.

“They are not trained as well as doctors and they’re going to miss some stuff, and that’s a scary thing to me,” he said.

In Georgia, numbers of physician assistants and nurse practitioners both have jumped by nearly 40 percent in the past five years.

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Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program announces grant
Funds earmarked for Share the Road initiatives
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Grant funding totaling $93,458 has been awarded to the Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program (GMSP) by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The approved funding will be used to increase motorcycle safety awareness and outreach by encouraging all motorists and motorcyclists to Share the Road.

“The need for motorcycle safety programs is greater than ever, and this support from GOHS enables motorcycle safety programs and impaired riding initiatives to reach riders and non-riders alike” said Commissioner Spencer R. Moore. “Thank you GOHS for helping (the Department of Driver Services) and GMSP educate and encourage all Georgia drivers to ‘Share the Road.’”

The grant allows DDS to further develop the Motorcycle Safety Outreach Program by continuing to fund a position to promote state and national safety initiatives. The GMSP outreach coordinator researches, coordinates and helps maintain an adequate presence at industry events, local schools and colleges, regional meetings and festivals to increase awareness of motorcycles on the roadways and provide the most current information on motorcycle safety initiatives.

Visitors to a GMSP event display are also encouraged to sign up for regular newsletters which provide additional safety information, as well as review the motorcycle safety message on other social media platforms.

GMSP regulates motorcycle training for new riders, as well as seasoned riders, who want to learn how to ride a motorcycle legally and safely. The program is based on a continuum of learning and therefore offers three entry points to rider education.

Students participating in the Basic Riders Course do not need specialized motorcycle equipment, as the GMSP provides both a motorcycle and a helmet to class participants. Upon successful completion of the course, participants receive a 90-day license waiver card that exempts them from both the written and on-cycle skills tests needed to obtain a Class M license in the state of Georgia.

Please visit the DDS website at www.dds.georgia.gov for many online services including the convenience of enrolling in a GMSP training class and accessing many licensing services.

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