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There is nothing new about smaller community hospitals closing. That has been going on for years. There are other considerations besides getting to a hospital. Modern medicine has become very complex and uses specialized tests, procedures, and equipment. Specialist doctors are also needed for the many complex medical issues. Ending up in a small hospital may not provide the level or quality of care expected. On top of that just getting to a hospital which can provide appropriate care would not necessarily met my expectations. The same with the availability of a specialist. There is a huge difference in outcomes for the best hospitals and specialists versus other hospitals and specialists providing the same services.
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Originally Posted by techie_g
I live in a beach town, with excellent healthcare, it's full of retirees that are pretty happy with the facilities , EMT's, fire, police, shopping, and even a great airport.
ON the Beach
A secret beach whose location can't be revealed.
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Originally Posted by jrkliny
They will find doctors but the issue is the expertise. Take a look at the Chief of Medicine. He has a foreign degree (Damascus U) and a residency in a very modest, small US hospital. Sorry, but I would look for better credentials for my family doc, let alone the chief of medicine.
This is part of the issue with rural medical care. Unfortunately this is also only the tip of the iceberg. In addition to physicians, a hospital needs a host of trained professionals including laboratorians, pharmacists, imaging techs, nurses and even purchasing agents, billing professionals and a host of others. In many cases a rural hospital will be struggling to fill and keep those positions filled with anyone who meets the minimum qualifications. There are other issues involving facilities and the availability of specialized equipment and procedures.
Sometimes a local hospital can stabilize a patient and arrange transport to a more suitable facility. It is much better to have direct access to appropriate care immediately.
I sort of agree with what you said but it doesn't just apply to rural areas. I live in Dayton - my location is not a state secret unlike everyone else here - which is sort of between Cinncinnati and Columbus both which are pretty big cities. All the Dr.s here have got the same medical credentials - local medical schools which I'm sure are accrediated and not "foreign". A LOT of the Dr.s are DOs. I attribute this inbreeding of medical information to why I went years and through 3 different Dr.s without medication I knew I needed. I was a walking shambling zombie. Finally 4th Dr. looks at my information and before I even said a word asks "why aren't you on xyz? Hallelujah. He was original local but had been in Chicago for 20 years. My point being that there are bad Dr.s everywhere and while I can be a school snob it doesn't really play that way.
And Florida which is just about as populated as a place can get and grows by 350,000 people a year! Is reputed to have poor health care. People complain all the time. Snowbirds wait till they go back to their northern states to get things done. Can you be 5 minutes from pretty major health care in FL unless its because of traffic? I know a woman in the UP whose husband got a hip replacement that didn't turn out well at all. I know a Woman in Lake Apopka FL who is having major trouble with her recent hip replacement. You would think that as God's waiting room the Dr.s there would know elder medicine better than any place on the planet.
People who live in rural areas their whole lives are pretty self sufficient and are aware and accept that there won't always be someone ready to save them in case of an emergency. You have those city dwellers who dream of retiring to a rural area but are not completely aware of what entails. There is a great deal of "rocking the boat" with a rural lifestyle, especially as one ages. Those who can't deal with that should stay within the city limits.
Yep...
My friends that moved to the country were stuck because a tree fell on their property... called the county who said it would be a couple of days as to the storm damage... they live in a far corner of the rural county.
They asked a neighbor if this was a typical response... neighbor said I don't know.. never called but I keep a small chainsaw in my truck at all times and need it a couple of times a year.
My friends started writing letters and were most unhappy... but they also told me when they moved how low the property tax is at the new place...
My friends that moved to the country were stuck because a tree fell on their property... called the county who said it would be a couple of days as to the storm damage... they live in a far corner of the rural county.
They asked a neighbor if this was a typical response... neighbor said I don't know.. never called but I keep a small chainsaw in my truck at all times and need it a couple of times a year.
My friends started writing letters and were most unhappy... but they also told me when they moved how low the property tax is at the new place...
There are never delays of any sort in a big city. After a snowstorm, for example, streets are cleared within minutes.
Probably never seen snow as they moved from California destination Idaho...
Two winters and they moved to Florida.
We're all different. I consider the Florida climate to be unlivable. I've heard people say, "But everything is air-conditioned." That's fine for people who are happy staying indoors for months at a time, but I like being outside as well.
............ My point being that there are bad Dr.s everywhere and while I can be a school snob it doesn't really play that way.
...........
Absolutely! And in the middle of nowhere you have no choices.
I am a "school snob" in that I pay attention to where a physician was trained, the sorts of training and boards they have and their privileges, etc. I typically pick physicians who are in group practices. It can be very competitive to get into a top group practice. There are other ways of picking a physician and having a high probability of getting a first rate physician. Hospitals also vary greatly. I live less than a mile from a major University hospital. I would only go there in an emergency. The last time we had an emergency, my wife got lucky. The specialist and care were first rate. The time before I transferred within a few hours to another hospital.
Outcomes vary greatly between physicians and hospitals.
You must have wonderful weather if helicopters can always fly. Where I live, you just have to hold it for a couple days in the winter until the storm passes. In the summer, the weather is pretty good, so all you have to do is schedule your medical emergencies for July and August.
Where we live, we have some snow storms in the winter, with annual snow fall at just 30 inches. But not deep snow, and they still fly planes and helicopters in nearly all weather conditions. We have a hospital (small) two years old, that is a trauma center. And only 45 miles to major medical center. There is a teleconference room, with all kinds of test equipment that can be hooked up by a trained operator, and the specialist in either Billings, or the main Mayo Clinic hospital (our medical system is only one of 7 in the nation that is a Mayo Clinic affiliate). The lab is across the hall from it.
The Digital X-Ray room and sonar are just down the hall. All are right close to the emergency room, where you do not have to wait more than 15 minutes to have a doctor with you 24 hours a day. All the latest test equipment, X-Ray equipment, etc., etc., only 2 years old at the oldest. The X-Ray is taken, and the specialist in Billings or Rochester Minnesota reading them immediately when needed.
The hospital is only 1 1/2 miles from our house.
Living in a small town, does not mean you can't get good medical care. In our area, they keep replacing our older hospitals with new ones in the small towns. They keep building new multiple story buildings at the main hospital. They have been electronic records for many years, and any doctor in the system can look at your records anywhere in the system, and you never have to carry your records to the other facilities. They went this route, long before the government wanted them to all go this way.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by debbie at bouontiful
Living on a ranch I am not sure how I'll do in a subdivision. Thinking of selling the ranch but not sure what we want.
lease the ranch, and the headaches, live in a cabin in your favorite meadow (on the ranch) with a "life estate" (free as long as you are alive).
As a ranch kid, I have enjoyed living in some big cities (for a season), but return to the ranch for 'retreat' / recharge. A 16 hr day on the tractor or in the saddle does me good.
I appreciate my neighbors (none) except for the woodpecker exploring my chimney cap this morning.
Actually we do have some great neighbors (with NO dogs or late night ATV riders!)
I seem to have had pretty good medical all my life till I now have none A(?)CA issue, not DR or care availability. Many Drs and care centers are closing up in the USA (rural and Urban). USA is just nolonger an option on some fronts.
The price / benefit of freedom (to change medical rules / coverage at will)
We're all different. I consider the Florida climate to be unlivable. I've heard people say, "But everything is air-conditioned." That's fine for people who are happy staying indoors for months at a time, but I like being outside as well.
A friend and I attended a convention in Atlanta, and discovered it would cost us the same to fly back to California from Orlando as Atlanta. Someone we met at the con lived there and would pick us up. We took a bus across the multiple states and arrived in Florida a warm night. The motel ac worked all night....
We did see Canaveral and the launch area, and the museum and came home with special gifts. And I got to see the atlantic, which is indeed a different hue of blue than the pacific. And I had never seen so many insects, especially so many BIG ones and wondered how they got in the car when the windows were up.
But I decided if I ever went back to Florida it wouldn't be in the summer.... the redefination of humidity. It's like a hot day in socal is dry, and is much more liveable than a hot day in Oklahoma, where your object is to find a way to sit in front of the ac all day. And keep those cold drinks coming.
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