Dr. Maharty, Asst. Regional Dean; Dr. Pearly Graham-Hoskins, Chief of Medical Staff; MS-III’s Rachel Dellehunt & Michael Sumner; trustee Rogers Clark; Dr. Wallace; trustee David Clark; Dr. Gena Miller, CPHS alumna; Wayne Lindsey, MS-III, Dean Kauffman, and Lisa Byrd, CFVH Bladen President.
ELIZABETHTOWN, NC – Dr. Jerry M. Wallace, Chancellor of Campbell University and namesake of the Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine visited Bladen County Hospital this week to celebrate third year medical students now being trained in the rural North Carolina Hospital.
“Dr. Wallace is not a stranger to Bladen County,” said Dr. Pearly Graham-Hoskins, Chief of Medical Staff at Bladen County Hospital. “He was pastor of Elizabethtown Baptist Church from 1960-1975 and is now returning home after a long and distinguished career at Campbell University to celebrate with us as we welcome students from the medical school rightly named in his honor.”
“Thank you for saying I’m back home because I feel at home,” said Wallace. “Our children were all born here, and I was in this hospital as a minister and our family as patients for 15 years.”
“The medical students here are founders,” continued Wallace. “They are here for their Rural Medicine rotation and nothing makes me more proud – it is the finest realization of a dream thanks to hospital physicans who are now teachers and mentors to Campbell medical students.”
Bladen County is one of North Carolina’s rural communities designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area in primary care, dental care, and mental/behavioral health by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
“You are now learning to take your training and implement it into your community,” said Dr. Don Maharty, Regional Assistant Dean for Campbell. “Practicing medicine in a rural community will echo into generations – the workforce, healthcare resources – economic resources and quality of life profile – they all go up.”
Every primary care physician that moves into a community is projected to have an average economic impact of $3.6 million – creating 6-7 jobs and generating an average of $300,000 in annual Federal, state, and local tax revenue.
“Physicians are 50% more likely to practice within 50 miles of where they train,” said Dr. John Kauffman, dean of the medical school at Campbell University. “We are committed to rural training because physicians tend to practice in their comfort zone – if they have trained in rural areas they are more likely to go into practice in rural areas to meet the health professional shortage in these communities, and we are thankful to Bladen County Hospital and Cape Fear Valley Health for partnering with us to make that possible here.”
The Campbell medical students are excited to be in Dr. Wallace’s hometown. They have been treated to some local favorites – a burger at Melvin’s and a pecan pie courtesy of a patient.
“My favorite part of being on rotation in a community is that after I have finished talking with patients about their medical care, they ask me about myself,” said Rachel Dellehunt, 3rd year Campbell medical student. “They want to know about me and are excited to be part of my medical training experience.”
Chancellor Wallace Celebrates Medical Education Coming to Bladen County