“Dr. Mirna D. Bowden, OB/GYN, member of Physicians for Patient Protection, who practices in Whitefish, said one of the biggest hurdles for small communities is that beginning doctors most often end up working where they did their residency training, which is typically in urban areas.

‘About 80% of residents end up practicing where they train,” said Bowden. “Because of the way residency training is funded, that usually means they are working at large hospitals in urban areas.'”