An 18-mile drive to see the doctor might not sound like anything to worry about for most people. But in rural Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) of Louisiana, for people who don’t have a car or whose handicaps don’t allow them to drive, it might as well be 100 miles. They just can’t get there.

 

When people can’t get timely medical care, it isn’t just a matter of immediate suffering. Hypertension and diabetes can result in serious complications and high medical costs when left untreated.

 

That is why there is such great value to the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) Delta Doctors program that helps foreign doctors who are graduates of U.S. medical schools get J-1 Visa waivers in return for working three years in MUAs.

 

Normally most physician graduates are required to go back to their home country for two years after completing medical school.

 

The Delta Doctors program helped place Dr. Arifa Nishat from Pakistan on the medical staff of the Northern Louisiana Medical Center (NLMC) based in Reston. Nishat practices 18 miles away from the headquarters of NLMC at a satellite clinic, Northern Louisiana Family Care in Calhoun.   

 

“NLMC has a major initiative to place clinics in smaller outlying communities for us to reach out in more convenient ways to patients we already serve,” said Misty Napper, director of marketing and physician relations, NLMC. “If we are in a more convenient location for them, it is more likely for them to seek medical care for prevention. It is better to treat conditions before they become a crisis situation. That is not only a better outcome for patients, but less expensive.”

 

Napper said foreign physicians like Dr. Nishat are very important for helping the hospital achieve its goals of providing good medical care to residents of MUAs.

 

Dr. Nishat, who started practicing family medicine at the clinic this past December, considers educating her patients one of the most important things she does.

 

“It is not just about taking medication,” Nishat said. “With high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke issues, education is extremely important to help patients get on a better road with diet and exercise.”

 

Nishat thrives on having a busy practice that makes a huge difference in the community.

 

“Basically I wanted to go somewhere where could see more patients so I could be of more assistance,” she said. “I’m so happy whenever I am here. All the patients are cooperative and understanding.”

 

Nishat recommended other foreign physicians consider the Delta Doctors J-1 Visa waiver program.

 

Amanda J. Taylor, director of the Delta Doctors program, said that four physicians have been placed in Louisiana since the inception of the program with efforts continuing to place more in the state.

 

Taylor said the goal is for physicians to adapt and become fond of the community in which they serve so they choose to remain in the area after their commitment is completed, either working with the same employer or facility, or choosing to open their own clinics.

 

Taylor said there have been no problems with the more than 100 foreign physicians placed throughout the Delta being able to communicate with patients, nurses and other healthcare providers. The physicians wouldn’t have been able to graduate from medical school in the U.S. without being fluent in English.

 

Healthcare providers usually work with an attorney to get through the paperwork needed to hire a foreign physician. One such attorney who has helped place doctors throughout the Delta is Greg Siskind, a Memphis immigration lawyer with Siskin Susser LLC (www.visalaw.com).

 

States are limited to 30 J-1 physician waivers per years. But federal programs don’t have that limit.

 

“The DRA can put as many doctors as needed in an area,” said Siskind, who is author of the book J-1 Visa Guidebook. “They have that flexibility. It helps fit an important need for the community that otherwise might have been left unfilled. The DRA is very successful in helping communities get the doctors they need.”

 

Siskind believes if more people knew about the program, it would be used more often.

 

The Delta Doctors program isn’t just a boost for the community’s health but the health of the local economy, as well. Pete Johnson, federal co-chair of DRA, said the number one underlying issue affecting the overall economy of the Delta is the health of its people.

 

“It affects every aspect of the Delta’s ability to compete at the global scale because it cuts to the heart of our citizen’s productivity,” Johnson said. “Access to affordable healthcare and trained physicians is the most critical link we have in the healthcare delivery system in our region.”

 

Johnson said they work closely with the states involved to ensure no unnecessary duplication or fragmentation of the processes necessary to bring about placing physicians in underserved areas.

 

For more information, call Taylor at 662-624-8600, extension 26, or send an e-mail to ataylor@dra.gov.