Rural Health Suffers
Ninety-seven percent of Baker County residents who are stricken with congestive heart failure, heart attacks, pediatric asthma or pneumonia had to be hospitalized in another county in 2008. “They’re going back to a county that has no care coordination” says Dawn Emerick, Director of the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida. That agency monitors health care service utilization at a regional level, and they have learned that Baker is the only county in the Northeast region that the federal government has designated “medically underserved”. about Baker County
Health Information Technology (HIT)
No initiative may be as important as the development of a telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas across the county. To enable the use of electronic health records and related technologies, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 established the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. Through it, grants and loans are authorized for the deployment and construction of broadband systems in rural areas. learn more
Health Ministry
Rural areas are known to be communities held together with the glue of spiritual belief and faith. What better way to communicate to a rural population than through a Health Ministry? Ours is started in Baker County. more
Regional Extension Center (REC)
The St. Johns River Rural Health Network (SJRRHN) is working to help health care providers become meaningful users of electronic health records. learn more
Barriers to Health Care in Rural Areas
Access to health care can be a problem when you live in a remote area. Nearly 25% of our population lives in rural areas, but only 10% of physicians practice there.
Rural residents tend to be poorer. On average, per capita income is %7,417 lower than in urban areas; the disparity is even greater for minorities living in rural areas. Nearly 24% of rural children live in poverty.
Because it can be both difficult and costly to get health care, many rural residents put off routine checkups and screenings. What was a minor health problem that could have been easily treated in its early stages may be a much more serious health problem by the time it is diagnosed. learn more: AARP Bulletin: Lonesome Doc
Telehealth and Telemedicine – it all relates to the ability to acquire and exchange electronic data to enable: the transmission of medical data to a medical professional for later assessment; the remote monitoring of chronic diseases; and real-time interactions between patient and provider. This technology is the key to enabling the delivery of health care to millions of rural Americans – finally.