MILLSBORO -- Marya Grier moved to Millsboro from New Jersey in November, and one of her top priorities was to find a primary care physician.
Although Grier, 70 and on Medicare, is on medication and needs to be monitored by a doctor regularly, she's been struggling to find care. One doctor cut back on his practice and another said it would be a six-month wait for an appointment.
For now, she's continuing to take the three-hour trek to see her doctor in New Jersey.
"It's kind of upsetting in a way," she said. "I'm certainly not in any dire straits, but if I had any issues with the medication, who would I go to? My only option is to go to Jersey, but that's a day trip and that's expensive."
Sussex County is considered a medically underserved area by the the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
According to the University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's County Health Rankings, Sussex County has 157 primary care physicians and a population to primary care physician ratio of 1,208-to-1. The same figure in New Castle County is 806-to-1, while the national benchmark that has been set is at 631-to-1.
"In a perfect world, we would have at least one doctor to every 630 patients," said Megan Williams, director of Population Health at Beebe Medical Center. "The idea there is that if we had a provider for every 630 patients, (the provider) would have ample time, knowledge and resources to provide robust primary care for their patients."
Williams said one reason the county has "a pretty dramatic shortage of primary care providers in the area" is its rural setting.
"We don't necessarily have medical education or a medical school here in Delaware, or certainly close to Sussex County," she said. "By virtue of that, we don't have folks who are doing a lot of their training and education here. Right out of the gate, that puts us at a disadvantage."
Kelly Griffin, director of marketing and communications at Beebe, said the wait for someone who uses the center's physician referral line to seek primary care is usually two to three months. More than 200 local physicians who are affiliated with Beebe and deal with family practice and internal medicine are on the list.
"Often we can help, but it depends on whether they want to travel a little bit further," she said.
Beebe actively recruits for additional primary care physicians. Marilyn Hill, director of physician services, said there are fewer people who aspire for physician positions, for a number of reasons, including the high costs to get to that point.
"It's difficult to entice people to go into it," she said. "It's very expensive to go through medical school, residency and fellowship training. You have to have a passion for it and want to do it for the right reasons."
Hill said when she recruits, she tries to promote the workplace community and the local community, and focuses on the positives.
Grier said she believes the wait is so long because many local doctors are retiring and no one is taking their place.
Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson said while there are no marketing plans at this time to bring more physicians into Sussex County, discussions with Beebe and Nanticoke Health Services have taken place with that in mind.
"We all recognize the fact that healthcare and our healthcare industry locally is being stretched right now with our population shifts, so we need to plan for that," he said.
Lawson said despite having the beach and the infrastructure, as well as being two hours away from three metropolitan areas, the county is having issues attracting the talent.
"Getting those young professionals in here is a challenge," he said. "We've had many discussions on how to combat that. I don't have an answer that we have a plan in place, but we recognize the issue."
As for Grier, she is still undecided about what she will do.
"I'm sort of hanging on the edge as to what I'm going to do next," she said.
Source: www.delmarvanow.com
Sussex celebrates the Diamond Jubilee - The Argus.co.uk
Sussex celebrates the Diamond Jubilee
1:15pm Monday 4th June 2012 in News By Bill Gardner
Sussex turned red, white and blue over the weekend as Diamond Jubilee fever swept the county.
Miles of bunting fluttered up and down streets as thousands of people joined together to celebrate 60 years of the Queen’s reign.
Trestle tables groaned under the weight of Jubilee treats, children played on bouncy castles and neighbours sat chatting while sipping glasses of champagne.
Fears of a washout proved unfounded as the sun broke through the clouds in the afternoon, bathing revellers in a Jubilee glow.
In St Keyna Avenue, Hove, about 600 people spent the day eating together, playing games and singing songs.
Organiser Jason Glanvill said: “It’s been incredible, such an amazing day.
“We’ve raised about £4,500 for a children’s charity but we’ve also had such a lot of fun.
“Even the mayor and mayoress came down for a glass of Pimms. Everyone has enjoyed themselves so much.”
Party-goers in Langdale Gardens, Hove, wore special masks of royals including Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge to their party.
Organiser Stephanie St James said the day had been “a bit mad” but said it had gone “tremendously well”.
She said: “We’ve had far too much food and drink and there’s been so much going on. It’s been brilliant.
“We had a tug of war, an egg and spoon race and an incredible band.
"We’re like a big family here so it’s great that we get this opportunity to come together and have fun.
“Everyone really does care about the Jubilee and people have been amazingly patriotic, which is great.”
Jubilee performance
After trying to guess the weight of a large Jubilee cake, partygoers in The Causeway, Hove, were treated to a special Jubilee performance from a mime artist dressed in Union Flag colours.
Lorna Monaghan, who helped organise the party, said the special day had “really brought the whole community together”.
She said: “We have lived here for 20 years and I have met neighbours I never knew I had. That’s what days like this are all about.
“We’ve got bunting, balloons and even some Jubilee pom poms and we also had an egg and spoon race.
“The weather’s been kind to us and now we just can’t wait till next year when we’re going to do it all again.”
Traditional games
In Worthing, children in Pavilion Road came together for an afternoon of ‘welly wanging’ – trying to throw a wellington boot as far as possible.
Organiser Ella Arnardottir said the party had been “all about building a real sense of community”.
She said: “There are lots of people from different ethnic backgrounds here.
“So we had lots of exotic food from around the globe, which was great. People here have been quite competitive about their street parties, which has been fun, and I think we’ve done very well.”
In Downside Avenue, Worthing, people came together to play unusual games including trying to pick doughnuts off a stick with no hands.
Organiser Sandra Collins said revellers had “really got into the spirit” of the Jubilee.
She said: “Lots of people watched the pageant on TV and it really got them in the mood.
“The party really brought the community together because you don’t often get the chance to chat to your neighbours and this really helps.
“A lot of the people here might never see another Jubilee so I’m glad we really made the most of it.”
See more Diamond Jubilee Street Party pictures in The Argus' dedicated gallery.
Are you holding a Jubilee gathering? Call us on 01273 544531 or email news@theargus.co.uk We want your Jubilee street party pictures. Email them to news@theargus.co.uk or text them to 80360 starting your text with SUPIC.
Source: www.theargus.co.uk
Woodbury: Aldi may fill empty Borders space at Tamarack Village - Pioneer Press
Aldi is planning to open a grocery store in Woodbury, according to a company spokeswoman.
The company hopes to open a discount grocery store in the building formerly occupied by Borders Bookstore, 8472 Tamarack Bay, in the Tamarack Village shopping area.
The store would require approval by the City Council.
Borders Bookstores declared bankruptcy last year and shut down most of its stores, including the Woodbury location.
Bob Shaw can be reached at 651-228-5433. Follow him at twitter.com/BshawPP.
Source: www.twincities.com
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