The Primary Care Workforce: A Health Executive's Perspective
mult_co_hd_2Even in an area as desirable as Portland, where the Multnomah County Community Health Center is located, it's hard to find primary care workers to serve our patients. The decline in the number of primary care professionals makes recruitment a challenge for us all.

As the county's director of clinical integrated services, I find it especially difficult to attract part-time workers. It's distressing to make patients wait for appointments because I have no one to work a few hours in the evenings. But these part-time positions aren't desirable because they don't include health benefits.

Health care reform can make a difference. As the reform movement gathers momentum and moves toward coverage for all Oregonians, including part-timers, this barrier will disappear. Then I hope to find it easier to recruit the workers we need for the 21st Century.

--Vanetta Abdellatif, Director of Clinical Integrated Services
Multnomah County Health Department