Assure medical care

I have just finished reading David T. Mitchell, Ph.D.’s guest column on empowering nurse practitioners in the Democrat-Gazette.

Having just recently moved from south Florida, where nurse practitioners frequently act as primary-care providers, and where I myself received excellent care from nurse practitioners, I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Mitchell’s observations. Additionally, the shortage of primary-care physicians, and medical practitioners in general, particularly in Arkansas’ rural areas, makes it even more poignant that there are trained nurses who are not even being allowed to obtain licenses in Arkansas simply because they had the misfortune of having been brought to the United States as children by undocumented immigrants.

As was pointed out in Eric Besson’s article in the Democrat-Gazette the week before, it is up to individual states’ discretion whether or not to grant practitioner’s licenses to trained and qualified DACA recipients. It is also up to the individual states to determine whether to allow nurse practitioners to act as primary-care givers.

In light of the overall shortage of medical care in Arkansas (which, according to the most recent studies, ranks 46th out of the 50 states in overall health), it would behoove the Arkansas Senate and House of Representatives to take the necessary steps to assure that all appropriate means are utilized to assure quality medical care to all Arkansans.

Thank you for your kind consideration. RON JACOBS Little Rock