In order to improve the accessibility of physicians across Georgia, a group of lawmakers is pushing the idea of giving added preference to native Georgians in state-funded residency programs.
In its list of final recommendations, the Georgia House Rural Development Council gave the state Legislature plenty to think about when it comes to health care before the 2020 legislative session.
Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, said health care is by far the most important issue the group looked at in the last 12 months.
The group made a total of nine health care-related recommendations in December, many of them focused on how to attract and retain medical professionals and physicians in the state.
Research has shown students are more likely to live and work in the communities where they completed their medical residency programs. To capitalize on that, legislators are pushing for state-funded residency programs to give added preference to native Georgians in order to keep those medical professionals working in the state.