There are not enough primary care doctors to go around, and that’s just one piece of the puzzle for why all of Southwest Florida is considered “medically underserved.”
It’s been this way for years, and at the rate we’re going, Florida is projected to have the second-largest physician shortage in the country by 2030.
According to the most recent data from Lee Health’s Community Health Needs Assessment, stacked up next to the state and the country, Lee County technically had a higher number of primary care physicians per 100,000 people before the pandemic. But add that we also have an older population, and supply is not meeting demand.