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HEALTH Search on for new medical provider for Butte Falls, Prospect clinics Butte Falls, Prospect losing current physician's assistant Comment By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted May. 4, 2015 at 2:42 PM Updated May 4, 2015 at 5:03 PM By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted May. 4, 2015 at 2:42 PM Updated May 4, 2015 at 5:03 PM » Social News Butte Falls and Prospect medical clinics are losing their sole medical provider and officials say that filling the void could be a challenge amid a national shortage of health care workers. Rogue Community Health's clinic officials said current physician's assistant Rebecca Vose will be moving to the East Coast to be closer to her aging parents. She has worked at the Butte Falls clinic since it opened in 2012. She added work at the Prospect clinic when it opened in 2014. The clinics, which serve an area of close to 3,000 people, will stay open open during the interim by utilizing the organization's other care providers and a remote video conference tool called TeleHealth, RCH officials said. RCH officials say the provider void at the clinics in northern Jackson County is just one example of a shortage of medical providers in rural areas and at large. A report from the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts the U.S. will likely face a shortage of between 46,000 and 90,000 doctors in the next 10 years. During that time, the number of people reaching more than 65 years of age is expected to jump about 46 percent. "It's fairly significant now and it's expected to grow over the next 5 to 10 years," Rogue Community Health's CEO William North said of the shortage of doctors. He added that currently the primary care physician shortage is estimated to be nearly 30,000 nationwide. The rising number of patients in the system because of health care reform, along with an expected uptick in doctor retirements over the next 10 years, are key reasons for the shortage, North said. Concurrently, the National Rural Health Association reports that only about 10 percent of U.S. physicians practice in rural areas, even though close to 20 percent of the country lives in such areas, per the 2010 U.S. Census. "As we're looking for physicians, that's the kind of challenge we have," North said. "There's just not enough to go around." Facing that shortage, RCH officials think mediums like TeleHealth will become more common, as will the increased utilization of registered nurses and nurse practitioners. "We're not just trying to address it by hiring more physicians," North said. "The way we provide services is going to have to change as well." TeleHealth uses secure real-time video that can connect patients to medical personnel remotely. RCH marketing director Karen Elliott said RCH also utilizes TeleHealth in its White City and Ashland clinics. "They do not have to leave their home community to see a provider,” Elliott said. An open house on Telehealth will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at 722 Laurel Ave. in Butte Falls. Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted May. 4, 2015 at 2:42 PM Updated May 4, 2015 at 5:03 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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