Shelby Ready for Race

Gene Shelby

While the general election is still months away, the candidate known as Gene "Doc" Shelby already has a plan mapped out.

Shelby, who is running as a Democrat for the open seat in the Arkansas Legislature's 25th District, is a practicing emergency room physician at National Park Medical Center in Hot Springs and is also in his third term as coroner in Garland County.

So why would someone who slogged through the decade or so of school and training to become a physician give up "Dr." and just go with "Doc?"

"The ballot doesn't allow you to have titles on it, so that is how 'Doc' was born," Shelby said with a laugh.

Shelby will face Sharon Noble in November but figures that his primary battle has him ready. "I ran against Burt Newell," Shelby said. "He is on the city board of directors and has quite a bit of name recognition here. All the city board meetings are televised on the local station and he has practiced law here for over 20 years so a lot of people knew him, but I was in the news and my name recognition is much higher than it is now. I got 57.2 percent of the vote, against him."

If Shelby were to win, he would be the first physician back in the state legislature since Dr. Scott Ferguson dropped out to make a run for the United States Senate in 1998.

Traditionally, the Arkansas legislature has had a doctor around. Ferguson and Vic Snyder, now a United States representative, are two recent examples.

"Hasn't been a lot, but traditionally has been at least one physician in the House or Senate for 20 or 30 years before this stretch."

Shelby has a plan in place, assuming he wins. "One of the things I will definitely look at is the whole trauma care system for the state," he said. "Arkansas is one of the few states that doesn't have a level one trauma center."

Funding is, of course, key, so Shelby has already looked around to see what other states do, such as "taking a look at some legislation that was passed in Mississippi a few years ago where they added on $5 to any moving vehicle citation to support the trauma system in the state. That will be something I really look into, and I feel like I'm the right person to do it," Shelby said.

Shelby, 55, is currently medical director of the emergency department at National Park. So he would bring a unique perspective to trauma care.

"In some ways it is on the verge of collapse," he said of the state's system.

Also on the agenda is getting to know the state's Medicaid system.

"I think legislative oversight is very, very important," he said. "So keeping an eye on the UAMS and Medicaid budgets will be very important. I'll make the time commitment to keep up on all these things."

Shelby himself is a UAMS graduate.

But the big enchilada, so to speak, is the first bill Shelby plans to introduce.

"Reform of the coroner system. A lot of things in terms of death investigation that are not being done or not being done well," he said. "No oversight and no standardization. That is one of things that will be in the bill I'm working on."



Beebe Unveils Proposals

Attorney General and Democratic candidate for governor Mike Beebe unveiled his healthcare plan at the end of June.

The plan was light on specifics on some issues and detailed on others. The big deal was an expansion of health coverage for uninsured workers through the Arkansas Safety Net Benefit Program, started by Gov. Mike Huckabee.

The plan will let smaller employers enroll workers in a plan financed with a mix of employer and government funds.

"We're trying to improve the affordability, for one thing," Beebe told reporters. "We're also trying to increase accessibility and maintain a high quality of care."

The insurance program will cost about $18 million spread out over five years and could end up covering as many as 80,000 people.

Beebe will also push to educate more Arkansans on preventive health measures like prostate and breast cancer screening, while also upping the number of school-based health clinics. Beebe also wants more nursing scholarships to be offered.

The proposals drew almost immediate criticism from Beebe's opponent, Republican Asa Hutchinson. A Hutchinson campaign spokesman, David Kinkade, called Beebe's plan, "some vague goals and general suggestions."

Hutchinson has yet to release his healthcare plan.