Please join us in welcoming Dr. Svetlana Shchedrina to East Hawaii. Shchedrina will graduate from the Hawaii Island Family Residency Program in June. Hilo Medical Center, East Hawaii Independent Physicians Association, the Hilo Medical Center Foundation and local businesses all worked together to create Community First’s New Physician Subsidy program. Health insurers Hawaii Medical Service Association and University Health Alliance also provided substantial support. This spirit of collaboration is what our community needs to solve the health care problems we face.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Svetlana Shchedrina to East Hawaii. Shchedrina will graduate from the Hawaii Island Family Residency Program in June. Hilo Medical Center, East Hawaii Independent Physicians Association, the Hilo Medical Center Foundation and local businesses all worked together to create Community First’s New Physician Subsidy program. Health insurers Hawaii Medical Service Association and University Health Alliance also provided substantial support. This spirit of collaboration is what our community needs to solve the health care problems we face.
In February 2016, Community First asked me to chair the selection committee for the New Physician Subsidy program. I accepted, thinking it would be a fairly simple process. It was not. The committee was tasked with creating the application forms from scratch, reviewing and revising agreements between parties, determining the selection process, publicizing the program and, finally, reviewing the actual applications. Many hours were spent discussing the wording or definitions on the application, but I guess that is what happens when you have three lawyers in the room.
The selection committee met at least monthly, with homework in between, during the past year. Without these dedicated volunteers the program would not have been successful. I would like to thank Doug Adams, vice chairman and community representative, Dr. Ted Peskin, Hilo Medical Center CMO, Dr. Kevin Kurohara, president, East Hawaii IPA, and Lisa Rantz, HMC Foundation executive director, for the tremendous amount of work done by the committee.
It can take years for a new physician to build an economically sustainable practice. If an established physician wants to add a new provider, they likely will lose money during those years. This program relieves some of the financial pressures that would keep someone from hiring a new doctor or someone from opening their own practice. A central and unique feature of this program is that an applicant must have an established physician who is willing to mentor them in the business and social aspects of practicing medicine in our community.
In addition to building strong personal relationships, Shchedrina is an avid scuba diver and likes to go camping.
“I’m addicted to practicing medicine and creating meaningful relationships with my patients,” Shchedrina said. “I am very lucky. I found it all practicing family medicine in Hilo. I appreciate the many doctors and others for their help, teaching and acceptance of me.”
Shchedrina will be working with one of Hilo’s most successful and respected physicians in Dr. Laurie Hopman of the Family Medicine Center.
An exciting development through the New Physician Subsidy is second placement opportunity. The East Hawaii Independent Physicians Association and Hilo Medical Center created a program to place badly needed specialty physicians in East Hawaii. Hilo Medical Center will provide salary support for the incoming specialist and East Hawaii IPA physicians will provide the same mentorship as the original program.
The funding we provide also can be used as matching funding for National Health Service Core loan repayment grants. These grants, administered through the state, can provide an additional $50,000 per year if a new physician works in a federally recognized Health Care Professional Shortage Area, or HPSA. Rantz has been working hard with the state Department of Health to get all of Hawaii County qualified as an HPSA. If we are able to gain this designation, it will open additional loan forgiveness possibilities for incoming physicians.
You are part of the solution. Do you know someone graduating from medical school or completing their residency training? Is there a specialist physician that might want to relocate to East Hawaii? Let them know about these programs or give them our contact information. The more of us working on the solution, the faster we get to the goal. For more information about the program or other questions, contact Tony Kent at akent@communityfirst.co or 675-2750.
Charlene Iboshi served as the prosecuting attorney for the County of Hawaii. She has continued her public service through the Kupuna Caucus, Community First, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Rotary Club of South Hilo, the Blue Zones Project and numerous other community efforts.
This column was prepared by Community First, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization led by KTA’s Barry Taniguchi and supported by a volunteer board of local community leaders. Community First was established in 2014 to help the community respond to the health care cost crisis and support initiatives that change health care from just treating disease to caring for health. To learn more about Community First, visit CommunityFirstHawaii.org.