Southern Oregon physicians' alliance urges Jackson County help to recruit and retain providers

Dr. Mona McArdle, Vice-Chair of the Southern Oregon Alliance of Physicians and Providers and Chief Medical Officer at Valley Immediate Care, told the Jackson County Board of Commissioners on July 7 that the purpose of SOAPP "is for local medical organizations to work together to recruit new providers to the area." She described SOAPP as a nonprofit that collects annual donations from physician organizations, receives grant support and has applied for Rural Health Transformation Program funds to hire an executive director and grow its operations.

Dr. McArdle said SOAPP's work focuses on both recruiting recent graduates and attracting established clinicians. She described outreach that included a visit to Oregon Health and Science University to meet faculty in the physician assistant program; SOAPP credited that outreach with at least one placement. Commissioners asked about the organization's track record; Dr. McArdle reported two physician success stories and several other provider placements attributable to SOAPP efforts.

County Administrator Danny Jordan raised concerns that low Medicare reimbursement rates make recruitment harder because some primary care physicians limit or stop taking Medicare patients; Dr. McArdle said providers still accept Medicare but Medicare enrollees may face longer wait times than privately insured patients. Board counsel and staff asked about residency pipelines; Dr. McArdle called local residency programs an aspiration, noting discussions with OHSU and others but describing residency expansion as difficult to implement in southern Oregon.

Commissioners Rick Dyer, Randy Sparacino and Colleen Roberts expressed appreciation for SOAPP's efforts, said retention must be addressed alongside recruitment, and suggested legislative change may be needed to address reimbursement and retention challenges that affect local economic development and workforce stability.