Breadcrumb
Free Public Screening of 鈥楾he Providers鈥� Follows Rural Medical Practitioners and Their Impact on Patients
By Jeff Murphy, April 2, 2019
"The Providers鈥� Photo caption and credit: Nurse Practitioner Chris Ruge listens to
a patient's heart during a home visit in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Credit: Courtesy of
Adria Malcolm.
WARRENSBURG, MO 鈥� and Capitol Cinema join the Independent Television Service documentary series 鈥淚ndependent
Lens鈥� to present a special community screening of the feature film 鈥淭he Providers鈥�
at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 3 in Jefferson City. In concert with the film, Karen Edison,
MD, Missouri Telehealth System, and Brian Sanfilippo, Preferred Family Healthcare,
will lead a community discussion.
The event is free, and registration is available at .
鈥淭he Providers鈥� follows three healthcare professionals in northern New Mexico at El
Centro, a group of safety-net clinics that offer care to anyone who walks through
the doors. Amidst personal struggles that reflect those of their patients, the journeys
of the providers unfold as they work to reach individuals who would otherwise be left
out of the healthcare system. Set against the backdrop of the physician shortage and
opioid epidemic in rural America, the film shows the transformative power of providers鈥�
relationships with marginalized patients.
Over the course of the film, the three providers - family physician Leslie Hayes,
nurse practitioner Chris Ruge, and El Centro Medical Director Matt Probst - remain
unfailingly compassionate despite a range of challenges from the system to their patients,
and sometimes even their own families. Leslie believes it is critical for primary
care doctors to treat patients who use opioids as part of their regular practice.
When other physicians don鈥檛 want 鈥渢hose people鈥� in their medical center, she says,
鈥渢hey鈥檙e already in your waiting room - you鈥檙e just not identifying and treating them.鈥�
Medical director and physician assistant (PA) Matt is coping with a physician shortage
and has begun training PAs to be the new front line of medical care. Nurse practitioner
Chris is part of a special program that allows him to visit the homes of the most
marginalized patients, and believes his relationship with them is making a difference.
鈥淭he job offers me the opportunity to actually be walking alongside patients and helping
them find the door,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ome people you need to open the door just once. Other
people it鈥檚 months and years. If you open enough doors they will walk through that
door with you.鈥�
Directed by Laura Green and Anna Moot-Levin, both the children of doctors, 鈥淭he Providers鈥�
will air on KMOS-TV Monday, April 8, 2019, 9:00-10:30 p.m. on 鈥淚ndependent Lens.鈥�