Dear Colleagues,
I recently joined Dr. Michelle Barg, associate chief medical officer for ambulatory care and vice chair of the Department of Community Practice at MU Health Care’s Capital Region Medical Center, for a day trip to our rural clinics. My goal was to reconnect with graduates of our Rural Scholars Program who have returned to serve their local communities.
Together with Sara Barnett, medical practice manager, we toured the family medicine clinics in Eldon, Versailles and California, Missouri. We finished the afternoon at the Madison Street Family Medicine Clinic across the street from Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City.
Eldon
We began at the Eldon Family Medicine Clinic, led by Dr. M. Scott Griswold — an Eldon native who attended medical school and completed his residency in family medicine at the University of Missouri. He continues to lecture family medicine residents in Columbia and Jefferson City.
I could tell immediately how connected Dr. Griswold is to his community. Every patient who passed him in the hallway gave a familiar greeting (“Hey, Doc!”). The Eldon Chamber of Commerce recently named him Doctor of the Year.
I also met Allie, a nurse on his team who grew up in Eldon and has known Dr. Griswold all her life — she was even in one of his children’s weddings. That deep sense of community connection was everywhere in the clinic.
Dr. Griswold and Dr. Emma Sayer, another clinician in the Eldon clinic, see about 100 patients per day. Although the clinic is not designated for urgent care, it still sees many patients with urgent needs — so the team works them in.
Eldon itself is growing quickly. A new Quaker Windows plant has brought new jobs and families to the area. Although the town’s population is about 5,000, the clinic’s service area reaches closer to 10,000 people. We are recruiting a physician assistant or nurse practitioner to join the Eldon team, and Columbia-based specialists often travel to Eldon to hold clinics.
As we were leaving, I met Geraldine, an Eldon resident. Geraldine knits and made six potholder sets to give the clinic doctors and staff — and I was fortunate enough to receive a set. Her kindness genuinely made my day.
California and Versailles
Dr. Barg and Sara Barnett also took me to visit the family medicine clinics in California and Versailles.
In Versailles, I met Dr. Amanda Shipp and nurse practitioner Jennifer Buckingham, who work side-by-side in the busy Versailles Family Medicine Clinic.
Then, at the California Family Medicine Clinic, I met Dr. Crystal Cook. Dr. Cook is a one-person dynamo — although we are recruiting another doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner to join her.
Returning Home
A common theme emerged from meeting Drs. Griswold, Shipp and Cook: Each grew up in the town where they now practice. After completing medical school and family medicine residencies at Mizzou, they returned home to care for their neighbors.
Drs. Shipp and Cook also participated in the Bryant Scholars Pre-Admissions Program, now in its 31st year. This program allows undergraduates from rural areas to apply for medical school admission before their junior year. For the next two years, they engage deeply with rural health experiences, and during medical school they continue to study rural health delivery systems. The goal is to prepare and encourage them to return to rural communities to practice.
For Drs. Shipp, Cook and Griswold, the program achieved exactly that. All three have become pillars of their community, and all three are training the next generation of rural providers. At their clinics, they mentor Rural Scholars medical students, family medicine residents, physician assistance and nurse practitioners.
When I visit with medical school deans from around the U.S., many tell me they struggle to find ways to encourage medical students to practice in rural communities.
Here in Missouri, we can see the direct impact of our rural programs. It is reflected in the work being done every day at the family medicine clinics in Jefferson City, Eldon, Versailles and California.
Sincerely,
Rick Barohn, MD
Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Hugh E. and Sarah D. Stephenson Dean, School of Medicine
rbarohn@health.missouri.edu
