DC has many resources in abundance. But apparently, doctors are not one of them. A new report from the DC Board of Medicine reveals that, while nearly 9,000 doctors are licensed to work here, fewer than half actually practice in the District. Of that, 72% do not live in the District and and less than 75% spend more than 20 hours per week with patients. According to the Washington Post:

The numbers drop even further among actively practicing primary-care doctors: 382 in internal medicine, 307 in pediatrics, 119 in obstetrics and gynecology, and 110 in family practice. [...]

The report found that actively practicing doctors are clustered in Wards 1, 2, 3 and 5, near hospitals. Health-care experts said any shortages that might be perceived in the District depend very heavily on where a person lives.

In Ward 3, for example, there is an abundance of physicians, with “literally hundreds of doctors to choose from,” said Michael Williams, chief of health-care operations for the nonprofit DC Primary Care Association. But he said only 90 doctors list a business address east of the Anacostia River.

In other words, just over 2% of DC’s actively practicing doctors are located in Wards 7 and 8. As written on DCentric: “when it comes to a lack of practicing physicians, certain areas in DC have it much worse than others.”

The problem in this case is really two-fold: first, from a health and safety standpoint, most doctors’ offices and major hospitals are just not that accessible for many of DC’s residents. For an example, check out this Google map, which is the result of a search for “hospital” near Fort Stanton Park in Ward 8. With the exception of United Medical Center, each one is at least 6-7 miles away, which is perhaps 20-25 minutes … assuming that one has a car and can travel outside of rush hour.

Second, from a financial perspective, commuting to a doctor on the other side of the city can be a real investment of both time and money; and often, those who live furthest from the city’s main concentration of doctors are also those for whom the trip is the greatest hardship — both in terms of the logistics (time away from work) and cost of the commute. And some vital destinations, such as Children’s, are more than a mile from the nearest Metro station.

So how can we improve medical accessibility? Perhaps by bringing the doctors to the patients:

– GUH Kids Mobile Medical Clinic: the first of its kind in Washington, the mobile clinic travels to “health professional shortage areas,” offering comprehensive, ongoing medical care with no out-of-pocket cost to families.

– Mobile Medical Care: in Montgomery County, MobileMed creates clinics with community partners in the neighborhoods where patients live and work and operates a network of medical vehicles.

– Also, the Senior Connection provides rides to medical appointments for Montgomery County seniors and Senior Services of Alexandria does the same in Virginia.