![]() ![]() This model makes it more affordable and sustainable to run a clinic in a smaller community without the threat of closure. Sometimes smaller clinics will have a physical space in a rural area even if they’re connected to a larger health network. Smaller clinics within larger systems or networks These practitioners can often meet the needs of people with diabetes, providing support and navigation through the health care system when a physician is not available or on-site. Some smaller clinics may offer team-based care which often utilizes community health workers (CHWs), patient navigators (PNs) and promotoras. ![]() See if your community has facilities such as freestanding emergency departments (FSEDs), community paramedicine facilities (which are usually staffed by emergency medical technicians EMTs) or patient-centered medical homes (PCMH). If you live in a rural area and are having trouble accessing the diabetes care you deserve, try these strategies:īoth routine and emergency medical care do not just need to take place in a typical doctor’s office or hospital setting. There are options available that can make managing your T1D or T2D easier. It isn’t realistic to expect people living in rural areas to drive hours to receive routine care. What do you do when your local, rural hospital has closed and you cannot receive the care you need? How to get healthcare in rural America This leaves an important question for many people living with diabetes. Sadly, many pharmacies affiliated with these smaller, rural hospitals will also close when the hospitals shut their doors, cutting off prescription medication access too. The closure of rural hospitals is a dire threat to healthcare access for millions of Americans, some of whom receive all of their routine care from hospitals when local health clinics are sparse in some parts of the country. Staffing shortages have also hit rural hospitals extremely hard, and low patient volume makes keeping doors open harder to achieve. Many cannot continue to cover the rising costs of healthcare, expensive medications and labor. Rural hospitals are at risk of closing because they receive inadequate reimbursement for the services that they provide (mostly due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates and provider fees). Over the past decade more than 100 rural hospitals have closed, and more than 600 (nearly 30% of all rural hospitals in the entire country) are at risk of closing in the near future. Rural health care is becoming more difficult to access Of course, medications also need to be regularly filled, so when a pharmacy is extremely far away, it can be inconvenient and unaccessible. Emergency medical help may be life or death in the case of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or a diabetic coma from a high or low blood sugar level. Regular check-ins with a physician are crucial for proper management. However, many Americans (about 1 in 5 ) live in rural areas of the country where access to a doctor, pharmacy or even an emergency department in a hospital could take hours-even a full day’s drive.Īccessing routine and emergency health care and a pharmacy is especially important for people living with chronic conditions like type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Most people can access the health care we need within a short drive, train or bus ride. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |