#05: Improving Medical Access in Rural Oklahoma

James and Cate head to McAlester to take a look at rural health care and the importance of the TSET-funded Physician Manpower Training Commission (PMTC) during COVID-19. Janie Thompson, PMTC executive director, and Michelle Mabray, physician recruiter at McAlester Regional Health Center, discuss how PMTC incentivizes physicians to practice at rural hospitals through medical student loan debt forgiveness. David Keith, CEO of McAlester Regional Health Center provides a bird’s-eye view of the state of rural health care in Oklahoma during the pandemic and the crucial services his facility provides. Dr. Kamron Torbati, an award-winning PMTC physician, tells his story from life in California to the Marines and what brought him to McAlester.   Music by Reverend Gary Davis, Doctor Turtle and Jason Shaw (1, 2), available at FreeMusicArchive.org.