Study: Black, Latino Doctors Scarce In California

Latinos and African Americans are vastly underrepresented among the state's cadre of physicians, a new report has found.

The study, released Wednesday, shows that Latinos represent one-third of the state's adult population but only 5 percent of California doctors. The disparity is similar for African Americans, who represent 7 percent of the state's population but only 3 percent of California's physicians.

The research, by the Center for California Health Workforce Studies at the University of California, San Francisco, also determined that non-white doctors are far more likely to work in primary care such as family practice and pediatrics and in lower-income communities where access to care is more challenging.

"Ethnic physicians are vital to the health of California, as they often care for the most vulnerable patients and are able to provide the most culturally competent care in this very diverse state," said Dr. Satinder Swaroop, who chairs the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations, a group developed by the California Medical Association Foundation.

The UCSF report lists several recommendations to boost Latino and African American representation in medicine in California, including loan repayment programs for doctors willing to work in underserved areas.

Source: Black Enterprise