There are almost 7,000 communities around the country with an inadequate number of primary-care providers, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. A 2016 study by the Association of American Medical Colleges found that in the next decade, the country could be short 95,000 doctors.
The lack of primary-care providers can affect urban and suburban areas to a degree but it is the rural communities, like those in Marshall County, that tend to be hit the hardest. The Bowen Family Medical Scholarship was established to combat the issue and focuses on meeting the health needs of rural communities by supporting primary-care medical students as they work their way through medical school and residency programs.
According to the Marshall County Community Foundation, Carol Bowen and the Bowen family established the scholarship to honor the legacy of care and public service of Dr. Otis Bowen who practiced family medicine in the Bremen community from 1946 to 1972. Bowen also served as the 44th Governor of Indiana from 1973 until 1981 and Secretary of Health and Human Services from 1985 to 1989.
The Bowen Family Medical Scholarship will provide one or more annual scholarships to a Marshall County resident who is accepted into an accredited of school of medicine or primary-care medical residency program that is preparing them for a career in rural primary-care medicine. For the purpose of this scholarship, rural Indiana is defined as Indiana communities excluding the cities of Indianapolis, Evansville, Fort Wayne, South Bend and the northwest Indiana counties of Lake and Porter.
The Scholarship Advisory Committee is seeking applicants this fall with the intent of awarding a scholarship for the upcoming winter/spring semester. Individuals interested in applying for the scholarship can contact the Marshall County Community Foundation at 574-935-5159 or visit the MCCF webpage for the Bowen Family Medical Scholarship Fund.
