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ST. GEORGE — As Southern Utah grows, residents are finding one thing growing more difficult: Getting time with a primary care doctor. Either it could be a matter of months to get an appointment time or those without a doctor may hear those four dreaded words: "not accepting new patients."
Officials at Rocky Vista University in Ivins say they are hoping to change that, not only training the next generation of doctors but keeping them in town.
"The critical shortages are in primary care, and particularly in rural areas," Kristine Jenkins, director of campus operations, said. "So that's kind of our focus in our mission is to try to produce as many primary care docs as we can and get them out into rural settings. And places like Ivins are considered rural settings."
"Our next mission is, 'Let's try to get some back here,'" she added.
