Georgia's Rural Healthcare Shortages
Post based on this article: https://politics.myajc.com/…/georgi…/JqAwfs1SLiqCwVNronKScM/
"Georgia’s Legislature is once again brainstorming legislation to address the state’s rural health care crisis. Sixty-four of 159 counties have no pediatrician; 79 have no obstetrician/gynecologist; and nine, like Webster, simply have no doctor."
"Webster County is small, and when a well-off resident needs to visit a doctor, it’s no problem to drive one county over or even go the 45 miles to Columbus. If they’re poor, it is a problem. Gas costs money, and 21 percent of Webster County residents live in poverty. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that perhaps 9 percent of the county’s households have no car."
These stories are too real. There are so many people in Georgia that don't even know where to start to get basic healthcare. Even counties like Floyd where I grew up, that have a much higher concentration of doctors than the state average, see enormous disparities along lines of income. Healthcare can be so confusing, and our state isn't doing enough to take care of its most vulnerable.
Things that I think would improve the rural healthcare shortages:
TL;DR the status quo is *not* working and we need change in our state leadership. Stacey Abrams has showed repeated commitment to protecting healthcare access for all Georgians - just one more reason to vote her in this November!
xoxo
Juhi
"Georgia’s Legislature is once again brainstorming legislation to address the state’s rural health care crisis. Sixty-four of 159 counties have no pediatrician; 79 have no obstetrician/gynecologist; and nine, like Webster, simply have no doctor."
"Webster County is small, and when a well-off resident needs to visit a doctor, it’s no problem to drive one county over or even go the 45 miles to Columbus. If they’re poor, it is a problem. Gas costs money, and 21 percent of Webster County residents live in poverty. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that perhaps 9 percent of the county’s households have no car."
These stories are too real. There are so many people in Georgia that don't even know where to start to get basic healthcare. Even counties like Floyd where I grew up, that have a much higher concentration of doctors than the state average, see enormous disparities along lines of income. Healthcare can be so confusing, and our state isn't doing enough to take care of its most vulnerable.
Things that I think would improve the rural healthcare shortages:
- Legislature that expands insurance coverage for low-income folks (aka the medicaid expansion that most other states have done would address some of Georgia's coverage gap)
- Legislature that improves reimbursement for doctors who see large volumes of low-income patients
- Legislature that enables nurses to fill some of the coverage gap (a bill was introduced in the senate- only for doctors to voice strong opposition)
- State funding for non-profit Title X clinics like Women of W.O.R.T.H., Inc. that provide preventative care to underinsured patients- these clinics are truly the safety net that care for those who have fallen through the system's (large) cracks
- More scholarships for medical students to cover their tuition and fees in exchange for service in rural, underserved areas (Mercer is leading the way on this)
- This is a bigger order but a cultural shift that makes rural areas feel welcoming -and not actively hostile- to the foreign medical graduates who are placed there in exchange for a working visa. I don't want to imply that rural areas are broadly racist because they're not- there's warm, kind people everywhere but as a whole, these places can be isolating and unfriendly to new immigrants. As a result, these doctors leave as soon as they get their visas but there's a potential for them to stay if they feel connected to the community.
TL;DR the status quo is *not* working and we need change in our state leadership. Stacey Abrams has showed repeated commitment to protecting healthcare access for all Georgians - just one more reason to vote her in this November!
xoxo
Juhi
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