County recognizes National Doctors’ Day; physicians urge steps to address workforce strain

Contra Costa County marked National Doctors’ Day on April 1 with a presentation from the county health system and remarks from practicing physicians about workforce pressures and patient demand.

Dr. Oritz Vieli, interim health services director, thanked physicians across county health programs — including primary care, specialty clinics, detention health, behavioral health and public health — and said doctors are integral to care teams that also include nurses and ancillary staff. A short video message from Dr. Oritz Vieli emphasized physicians’ role as leaders, mentors and advocates within the county health system.

Dr. Joanna Chin, a pediatrician at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and speaker for the Physicians and Dentists Organization of Contra Costa (PDOC), described increasing workloads and education debt for new doctors. She told the board medical-school tuition ranges she cited at $42,000–$70,000 per year and said many new physicians graduate with large debt burdens; she cited a figure that 40% of new grads owe more than $250,000. Chin also raised concern about changes and restrictions to Public Service Loan Forgiveness that may affect recruitment and retention for public health systems.

“When we say that we need more compensation in certain areas, we are not being greedy. We are merely trying to ensure that our system supports newer physicians and their debt burden,” Chin told supervisors. The physicians asked for continued institutional support for recruitment, reasonable workloads, and mechanisms to make public-service careers sustainable.

No board action was required; the item was a recognition and a request for continued support for physician recruitment and retention within Contra Costa Health.