BRIDGING THE GAP IN RURAL HEALTHCAREAccess to quality healthcare is a vital component of the rural economy. Not only is healthcare an essential service, but it provides high-wage jobs and is an important factor for families and businesses when they make decisions about where to locate. Still, when it comes to economic development, the value of high-quality healthcare may be overlooked. Nancy Novack, an associate economist at the Center for the Study of Rural America, examines some of the innovative strategies being used to enhance rural health care in September’s edition of The Main Street Economist. The Main Street is published by the Center, which is based at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Partnerships, both geographically and across healthcare providers, are a common theme to the innovations in rural care, according to the author. Among the strategies Novack explores are networks that allow healthcare providers to share costs, a “grow-your-own” strategy where partnerships strive to spark interest in healthcare careers among rural youth, and the use of Internet-based technologies to enhance the quality and range of rural healthcare. While innovations may energize rural care, shifts in public policy will be critical in shaping the future course of rural healthcare, Novack writes, noting that most states do not have policies focusing specifically on rural care. The exception is Georgia, which in the late 1990s embarked on an effort to transform its rural health delivery systems. The effort began with a focus on single-county networks, but ultimately led to the establishment of regional networks covering nearly two-thirds of Georgia’s rural counties and acted as a catalyst for grassroots programs. Meanwhile, at the federal level, Novack writes that the Department of Health and Human Services created a Rural Task Force to explore issues in rural healthcare in 2001 and is now taking steps to improve healthcare in rural areas. # # # Return to www.kansascityfed.org
|
||||
|