Athens sits at the center of a 17-county region with more than 600,000 people. New research shows that Athens and the surrounding counties face a significant shortage of doctors and other medical personnel, especially primary care physicians, as well as mental health and dental care.
According to federal data, Athens-Clarke County needs at least 16 more primary care physicians just to meet the county's current needs.
In the Athens News Matters Extra, WUGA's Martin Matheny sits down with Grace Bagwell Adams, principal investigator of the Athens Wellbeing Project and an associate professor in the University of Georgia College of Public Health, to talk about the doctor shortage, its causes, and the effects it is having on the Athens community.