TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV\/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) -Healthcare is becoming easier to access across Florida, according to state regulators and medical providers who say the comprehensive Live Healthy Act is working as intended one year after implementation.<\/p>\n
The sweeping 2024 legislation was designed to expand Florida\u2019s health workforce, particularly in underserved areas, as the state faces a projected shortage of about 18,000 doctors by 2035. With roughly 1,000 people moving into Florida daily, accessing medical care has become increasingly challenging.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this program is going to do some great things for the state of Florida,\u201d said Temple Robinson, CEO of Bond Community Health Center in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n
The Live Healthy Act tackles the healthcare shortage through multiple approaches, including expanding programs to attract medical professionals and adding residency programs throughout the state.<\/p>\n
Robinson told lawmakers during the opening week of committees for the upcoming legislative session that the programs provide crucial support for healthcare facilities training the next generation of doctors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helps the health centers and the doctors\u2019 offices, offset some of the costs and the administrative burden, teaching students while you\u2019re also trying to care for patients,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n
The hands-on training component is proving particularly valuable for medical students. \u201cThey get to see real-world medicine. And then they can make decisions and hopefully those decisions are to stay in our area and care for underserved people,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n
Rural healthcare facilities, which have struggled to maintain operations in recent years, are also experiencing positive impacts from the legislation. Lauren Faison-Clark, CEO at Doctors\u2019 Memorial Hospital in Perry, said the support is essential for small community hospitals.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to continue to provide the kind of access needed in small communities without some kind of support,\u201d Faison-Clark said.<\/p>\n
In an era when rural hospitals nationwide are closing, Doctors\u2019 Memorial is actually expanding thanks to Live Healthy funding. \u201cA lot of hospitals like ours, we literally live month to month and we don\u2019t have those extra capital dollars to put for new equipment and things that are essential in providing high-quality care,\u201d Faison-Clark said.<\/p>\n
While it will take several years to see the full effect of the Live Healthy Act, the consensus among lawmakers, state agencies and the medical community is that Florida is heading in the right direction toward addressing its healthcare workforce challenges.<\/p>\n
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