San Luis, CO – Estimates show thirteen Colorado counties may face a shortage of family medicine providers by the end of June, according to a new report.
Due to COVID-19, demand for a wide range of family medicine providers is down. This is resulting in mass layoffs of staff and even closures of practices.
The workers range from dentists and general surgeons to medical assistants and nurses, from allergists and dermatologists to primary care physicians and pediatricians.
From: USA Today
By June, an estimated 60,000 family practices will close or significantly scale back, and 800,000 of their employees will be laid off, furloughed or have their hours reduced as they see a decline in business during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a HealthLandscape and American Academy of Family Physicians report released Thursday.
The layoffs and closures will result in shortages of important medical facilities like family physicians and dentists. According to the map provided by the USA Today article, 13 Colorado counties will be affected.
Arapahoe, Bent, Clear Creek, Costillo, Douglas, Elbert, Fremont, Gilpin, Las Animas, Otero, Park, Pitkin, and Washington counties are projected to have more than 3,500 people per family medicine provider by the end of June. This indicates a major shortage of available practices.
Some of the surrounding counties will likely be negatively affected as well. The shortage of available facilities means some people will have to travel further outside their own counties for treatment.
Dental, chiropractic, and other “non-essential” practices were ordered closed by Governor Jared Polis. Some of these practices will not survive the extended closures.
Colorado’s COVID-19 response will have far-reaching consequences.
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Lets close the Governor’s Office!!
Polis is complete failure as a leader
This is one of those “unintended consequences” that results from short-sighted decisions based primarily on fear.
Wow. Just in time for state run health “care!”