Senator Susan Collins Delivers Keynote Address At Tufts Medical School Celebration
Portland, ME - U.S. Senator Susan Collins delivered the keynote address for the Tufts Medical School Celebration at Maine Medical Center this morning and congratulated the Maine Track Class of 2015.
The Maine Track Program was created to accomplish three goals: to address the shortage of doctors in Maine, especially in our rural areas; to offer Maine’s brightest students the financial means to pursue a career in medicine; and to develop an innovative curriculum focused on community-based education. The program was established through an educational partnership between Tufts University School of Medicine and Maine Medical Center. This unique partnership offers a rigorous training program focused on the needs of Maine while also giving students firsthand experience providing care in local communities throughout the state.
See below for a full copy of Senator Collins’ remarks, as prepared for delivery
Senator Susan M. Collins
May 2, 2015
“Thank you, Dr. Bates. Members of the Maine Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine communities, families, and friends, it is a pleasure to be with you today.
“Most of all, congratulations to this outstanding Maine Track Class of 2015. I am honored to be part of this special moment in your lives.
“It is wonderful to share the podium today with another Aroostook native, Caleb Swanberg. It is even more wonderful to know that, after his residency, he intends to return to our hometown of Caribou to apply his knowledge and dedication. All of you who follow the path to the practice of rural medicine – whether in the town you are from or someplace new – will find a community that is warm, welcoming, and deeply grateful for your commitment.
“To illustrate, I want to tell you the story of my Uncle Doug Collins. A graduate of the University of Maine and Harvard Medical School, my Uncle could have practiced anywhere after his residency in internal medicine at Mass General. He chose to come home to Caribou where he practiced for many years and was known to be particularly gifted at diagnosis, a skill that was honed by taking care of generations of the same family. He once spared a very elderly patient from a lung biopsy by being able to tell the specialist that the spot on the man’s lung had been there unchanged for decades and had been present in the patient’s father’s lung too.
“After many years of practicing in Caribou, he became one of the first directors of the Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine program in Augusta. He enjoyed getting the program established and teaching. But eventually the pull of his patients was just too strong, and after several years, he returned to Caribou where he practiced until he retired. His patients loved him, and he loved them.
“He was well-respected not only by his patients but also by his fellow physicians. Years ago, I met Surgeon General David Satcher who asked after my Uncle Doug and commented that they had worked together on an Institute of Medicine study.
“Like my Uncle Doug, the same sense of compassion and the desire to be of service that led you to the field of medicine in the first place is guiding you to your next destination. I hope it will be in Maine, in a community where you, too, will love your patients and they will love you.
“The story of how the Maine Track program came to be is a great example of the kind of practical thinking that produces solutions. In 2008, a longstanding problem in Maine health care was becoming a crisis. Nearly a quarter of all Maine physicians were nearing retirement. Fourteen of our 16 counties were designated by the federal government as medically underserved areas. Our State trailed the nation – in 49th place that year, 50th in others -- in the number of students applying to medical schools, with the leading cause being financial barriers.
“Dr. Bates, the administration, and the trustees at Maine Medical Center joined forces with Dean Harris Berman and his colleagues at Tufts to craft a visionary, three-pronged solution: recruit high-achieving Maine students to careers in medicine, help to make a medical education affordable, and encourage graduates to practice in rural communities. Community hospitals across our State agreed to host the hands-on training that proves a quality medical education can be gained in a rural setting. Scholarships made possible by support from individuals, businesses, foundations, and the State of Maine were established to overcome the financial barriers. The Maine Track program was launched in 2009, and today we celebrate its third class.
“With the exception of this Celebration, probably the most exciting – and certainly the most nerve-wracking -- day in the life of a medical student is Match Day, when resident positions are offered. While the first Maine Track graduates, the Class of 2013, are still in their residencies in Maine and across the nation, the outlook is very encouraging. On average over the first three years of the program, one-third of Maine Track students sought and obtained residencies in our State. In addition, many who took residencies elsewhere say they intend to return to Maine. These are powerful indications that Maine Track is on the right track.
“The qualities of compassion and vision that got us here are invaluable, but as a matter of public policy, we must continue to address the distinct challenges faced by rural communities and their implications for health care.
“The Maine Track program helps many students afford a medical education, but that affordability remains the single greatest impediment to graduate education. Far too many medical students already carry significant debt from their undergraduate years which, when combined with the high cost of medical school, makes the higher-paying positions of urban or suburban settings not just desirable, but often necessary.
“That is why the National Health Service Corps’ scholarship and loan repayment programs are so important. Not only do they make the high cost of medical school more affordable, they also help communities struggling with shortages of key health care professionals. As a Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue to work hard to increase funding for these programs so that Mainers have better access to quality health care.
“We also need to ensure that rural practitioners do not feel cut off from their colleagues and the latest research. Telemedicine, including remote patient monitoring, offers great promise in closing this gap, but our nation must do more to expand broadband access. Maine has long been in the forefront of telehealth initiatives, but during your nine-month clerkships in rural hospitals, some of you students may have noticed that the Information Superhighway still has some potholes.
“You know that rural America presents some particular challenges, such as higher rates of smoking, diabetes, and poverty. Substance abuse and mental health issues are problems everywhere, but they are exacerbated in rural communities due to a lack of treatment options and, in some cases, by cross-border smuggling operations.
“Many of you are also likely to encounter the tsunami of Alzheimer’s cases in your practices. Alzheimer’s is the only one of our nation’s top ten deadliest diseases without an effective means of prevention, treatment or cure. That is why I support a dramatic increase in our federal investment in Alzheimer’s research. At a time when the United States is spending $226 billion a year to care for Alzheimer’s patients, we are spending less than $600 million a year on research. We currently spend $5.4 billion a year for cancer research, $3 billion a year for research on HIV/AIDS, and $2 billion for cardiovascular research, all investments that have paid dividends. Surely we can do more for Alzheimer’s given its tremendous human and economic price.
“Our health care system now stands directly in the path of a tidal wave of aging baby boomers who will be retiring at the rate of 10,000 a day for the next 20 years. And Maine is the state with the oldest median age in the nation. That system will clearly have to adapt to survive the impact. Physicians will be on the front lines of these changes.
“I cite these issues fully confident that they will not discourage you in the least from rural medicine. In fact, I am quite certain each of you can add to the list. Consider this, instead, a long compliment of the highest degree: you know the challenges and are eager, trained, and ready to take them on.
“Many of you are drawn to rural practice in part by the quality of life – outdoor recreation, natural beauty, friendly people, and safe communities. So consider this as well: you will be adding immeasurably to that quality of life by your very presence. You will make a real difference.
“I often conclude remarks at celebrations such as this by urging the students to stay in Maine after graduation. As you head off to your residencies, some of you will do just that, while others will get a glimpse of our State in your rear view mirror. If that is the case, drive safely and know that we look forward to the day when you will once again be looking at this beautiful and welcoming place through your windshield.
“Thank you, Class of 2015, congratulations and good luck.”
