It's National Rural Health Week

It's National Rural Health Week

Those of us who live a distance from an urban center, understand the medical challenges of not living near a doctor’s office or hospital. That is a unfortunate reality faced by many rural Americans, where the miles between critical care centers can reach into the triple digits.
This week is National Rural Health Week and I want to take this opportunity to thank all those rural folks who volunteer on their communities fire department and or their emergency medical services. Past President of the Washington Rural Health Association Sue Lani Madsen is currently a long time EMS as well as a fire fighter volunteer.
Madsen: “I don’t think that people recognize how vital volunteers are to the emergency medical services in the rural counties. We don’t have paid people on staff like the cities do. It really requires people who are willing to drop everything to respond to a pager to take care of a neighbor, a family member or friend or total stranger who has had to dial 911 for some kind of health emergency.”
Many rural families have had generations of EMS and/or fire fighting volunteers provide support in their local community. Madsen continues with a challenge to those who may be relative new to rural areas.
Madsen: “There is a recruiting issue for EMS as well. Many rural areas are benefiting from folks who want to live the rural life style and they move out to the country. They don’t realize what a valuable contribution they could make by volunteering. If you are new to the community, you may not even think about it as an opportunity.”
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