The American Board of Pediatrics reports that 48 of Kentucky’s 120 counties do not have a doctor who is dedicated to their work.
Bath County is one of the 120 counties in Kentucky that does not have a pediatrician. Sean Bailey, who is a parent, is the head of instructional curriculum for Bath County Schools. He has access to normal healthcare, but he goes to Montgomery County to see a pediatrician for specialist care.
“Having a pediatrician for specialization, I can see the need of that, and the worry and concern of being in a small rural county, we don’t have the access that others would have,” Bailey stated.
The CEO of Sterling Healthcare is Tina Bryant. Bryant stated that it is not unusual for people in areas like Bath County to travel for specialist treatment, but they still have access to most of the medical services they require.
“If families want the specific specialty of a pediatrician, yes, they do have to travel. If they’re from Bath County, they’re probably coming over to Mt. Sterling or the Morehead area. At the same time, we do have other providers and physicians on staff in Bath County or in some of our outlying counties where kids are taken care of, they just might not be seeing a specific pediatrician,” Bryant stated.
In response to the demand, schools such as Eastern Kentucky University are proposing the establishment of a College of Osteopathic Medicine, which would provide students with the opportunity to specialize in this field.
According to Dr. David McFaddin, the president of EKU, the goal is to provide students with more opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and excel, which would be a significant advancement for professions like as pediatrics in Kentucky.
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“I think that creating access is first, and second is affordability. We’re focused on saying we’re going to keep this as affordable as possible so that when you graduate, you can go back to an underserved community to serve and practice, balancing the financial obligations of medical school,” McFaddin stated.
Even though Bath County does not have a pediatrician, locals like Bailey are grateful for the healthcare options that are available to them in their community.
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“We’re so blessed to have them, and it’s been amazing that we’re able to access highly educated medical professionals here in our county. Even though they’re not specialists as pediatricians, they’re very knowledgeable, and they care. That’s what’s most important. They truly care for our community and our kids,” Bailey stated.
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