ROANOKE, Va. – Put yourself in their shoes.
The Wilsons have lived in Patrick County for years and have grown to love the quiet, rural area they call home, but their beloved hometown sometimes has drawbacks when it comes to emergencies.
In the middle of the night Mother’s Day, the family learned that the place they lived has a significant impact on the healthcare they have access to.
“About 1:30 in the morning he woke up and said, ‘This is a heart attack,’” explained Linda Wilson.
It took over an hour before her husband made it to a hospital because there is no hospital in Patrick County, and that night, the Wilsons had to travel to Mount Airy, North Carolina.
In that situation, they could either travel to Martinsville or across state lines to North Carolina to receive healthcare, both of which were treks.
“It’s at least 35 miles in either direction and if you want to go West then you’ll get to Galax and that’s farther,” explained Wilson.
Patrick County is one of seven counties in our area that the Virginia Department of Health listed as a persistent recruiting challenge area in a 2016 report.
The report said these areas typically suffer shortages in other professional domains as well, such as dental and mental health. These overlapping shortage areas compound the difficulties residents have in accessing providers and maintaining their health.
“The 2021 report talks about all of the scholarships and all of the various opportunities there are to increase access to primary care services,” stated Roanoke City and Alleghany Health District Director Dr. Cynthia Morrow.
Since the 2016 report, a lot of work has been done to address these issues, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
In fact, the hospital that was only 10 minutes from Wilson’s home closed in 2017.
“We may not be able to change the distance, but can we improve on the system by which those highest acuity cases get to that specialty care in a shorter amount of time,” said Dr. Morrow.
The Virginia Department of Health is addressing these disparities in the Virginia Rural Health Plan.
In our region, health systems also have a seat at the table in addressing these disparities.
Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic has everyone paying more attention to their healthcare needs and has created challenges for healthcare providers.
“In the deep rural areas, it is a little harder,” said Carilion Clinic’s Chief Administrative Officer Jeanne Armentrout.
Harder in reference to access offerings and hiring employees.
Carilion has several initiatives to tackle this issue like the Blue Ridge Partnerships for Healthcare Careers and the YES program. It also has a medical school, which brings medical professionals like Dr. Andrew Moore back to the area.
“I grew up in rural Washington state and my heart in serving patients was to serve a rural population,” said Dr. Moore. He was a graduate of the Virginia Tech School of Medicine charter class and works as an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine today.
LewisGale will soon open a free-standing emergency room in Blue Hills, and system leaders are also paying more attention to their employee’s needs.
“It is critically important that we fill our nursing vacancies so that we can better serve our community,” said LewisGale Medical Center’s Chief Nursing Officer Amy Woods.
Carilion and LewisGale have both done a lot of work bettering the work environment to boost retention.
Both systems and VDH stepped up their telehealth services which is a resource extremely helpful for those in hard-to-reach areas.
Things like COVID-19 testing and vaccinations were mobilized to these areas as well.
Delegate Wren Williams represents Patrick County and told 10 News that an emergency room should open in the county by the end of 2022.
“If we can increase awareness through stories like the one you’re doing McKinley, we can empower people to at least understand that there are unintended consequences of living in a rural area,” said Dr. Morrow. “There is beauty too. You don’t have to worry about the pollution. There are a lot of benefits to living in a rural area. Just the physical environment, there are a lot of advantages, but if you’re aware of some of the potential threats to your health then you can at least take some steps and have a plan in place.”