Virginia doctor tries truck-stop medicine to keep family practice alive

[cpzilliacus]

Washington Post: Virginia doctor tries truck-stop medicine to keep family practice alive

The massive truck stops just off I-81 here offer diesel, hot coffee and "the best dang BBQ in Virginia."  There's something else, too: a small-town doctor who performs medical exams and drug tests for long-haul drivers, an innovative effort to keep his beloved family practice afloat.

At a time when doctors are increasingly giving up private practice, Rob Marsh still operates his medical office in tiny Middlebrook, Va., about 15 miles from Raphine and 50 miles west of Charlottesville. He makes house calls and checks on his patients who are hospitalized – sometimes late at night. He knows which tough, leathery farmers will blanch as soon as they spot a needle.

For the past 2 1/2 years, Marsh, 58, also has reached out to another medically neglected population: the truck drivers who spend their days on the interstate, many never home long enough to find a primary-care physician.

About 20,000 trucks pass through Raphine each day. As many as a thousand drivers a night sleep at the local truck stops, dwarfing the town's population.

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

Speaking of Raphine, the Petro there is one of my absolute favorite truck stops.  Love the place.  Glade Spring's Petro is right up there on my list too.