Yuma County seeing a shortage of primary care physicians

County needs over 30 doctors to meet physician to patient ratio - News 11's Cody Lee reports

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - If you have tried making an appointment with your primary care doctor, over the past year, you know it can be a long wait. Across Arizona, over 550 family medicine physician positions are available.

It's a shortage happening nationwide.

Yuma Regional Medical Center's chief medical officer says Yuma County has seen a minor population increase but not an increase in family medicine doctors.

National benchmarks track the intensity of sickness, in a population, to level the needs in each community.

According to YRMC, we fall right in the middle of the spectrum with an average of 2,500 patients per one doctor. That's 500 patients above the national average.