CROSSETT – One of the best strategies for helping fill critical shortages of physicians in rural areas of the state is to “grow your own.” Bradley Jefferson Walsh, MD, chief of staff at the Ashley County Medical Center (ACMC), is a perfect example of that. He grew up in Crossett hunting, fishing, and enjoying the great outdoors living in a county with two National Wildlife Refuges. After graduation from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) School of Medicine in 2006 and completion of a family practice residency at the Area Health Education Center in Pine Bluff in 2009, it was a natural fit for this Natural State native to come back home.

Walsh grew up in medicine as the son of family practitioner Benjamin Walsh, MD. Today the two practice across the hall from each other along with partners E. A. Gresham, MD, also a family practitioner, and Mark Malloy, MD, an internal medicine specialist.

“When I was growing up, I could see from watching my father that practicing medicine was a worthwhile endeavor,” Walsh said. “My dad is well respected, and very involved in the community. I aspired to have a similar situation for myself and my family. I was always attracted to science and enjoyed the logical way of thinking through things, almost like detective work. Medicine was a good fit for me.”

Since January 2014 Walsh has been chief of staff at the ACMC, which is owned by the county. He presides over the monthly medical staff meeting, participates in hospital policy-making decisions, and serves on the hospital board of directors. While the position doesn’t come with a salary, Walsh finds the work interesting because he is juggling several different areas of need at the same time.

“Generally, when I am asked to weigh in on hospital policy or other decisions, the first need I try to meet is that of the patients,” Walsh said. “I try to make decisions that will benefit them, even if it is not in the best interest of the hospital or physicians. Beyond that, there is a balancing act of meeting the needs of the medical staff and the hospital for their respective abilities to take care of patients.”

Ashley County built a new hospital in 1998 after the critical access hospital program was initiated. Some might be surprised at how modern and state-of-art the hospital is for a county with a population of about 22,000 located in south Arkansas near the Louisiana state line. The 25-bed hospital has a general surgeon, an OB\GYN department, a nursery, an ICU with six beds, a full-service emergency room, advanced imaging (CT, MRI, Nuclear departments), and telemedicine services. ACMC also hosts a variety of outreach specialty clinics allowing for patients to avoid lengthy travel times to visit their orthopedist, cardiologist, or even oncologist.

Telemedicine partners include Baptist Health, which assists with e-ICU services; the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) AR SAVES stroke program; and Arkansas Children’s Hospital, which provides timely assistance for pediatric patients. Walsh said telemedicine consulting provides exceptional care, and allows patients to remain hospitalized locally when they would otherwise be transferred.

Walsh is also chair of the hospital’s physician recruitment committee. At the age of 61, his father is the second youngest family practice physician in Ashley County. Many small private practices don’t have the considerable resources needed to attract a new family doctor.

“It is incredibly expensive to recruit a physician,” Walsh said. “Recruiting is really done at hospital level out of an urban environment. It is hard to draw highly trained and educated physicians to rural areas. That is a local, state, and national issue, but it is something we have got to figure out and fix. In ten to 15 years, if we haven’t recruited anyone, there will be an access crisis. I certainly can’t do it by myself, so we have to get some help.”

They were successful recruiting a young new pediatrician to town, but there is still a need for more family practice doctors. Recruitment to rural areas is a major focus of the Arkansas Academy of Family Practice, and is a hot topic in the medical community at large.

Walsh and his wife, Lori, have a daughter, Mallory, 7, and a son, Barrett, 4. Walsh is a big outdoorsman with a particular passion for fly fishing and fly tying. He travels widely to fly fish in both saltwater and freshwater.

“I probably spend too much time thinking about fly fishing – I know my wife would agree,” Walsh said. “Growing up in Crossett, duck hunting was a favorite pastime for my family. Since I’ve moved back, I continue to duck hunt with my dad and brother, which is always an event.”

The Walsh family are diehard Arkansas Razorback fans as well, having all attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.