Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My oldest is disabled and sees several specialists semi annually or annually. Most of her health care needs are pretty much at a maintenance level currently, so if my husband got one of the jobs he is applying for, we would only need follow up care. The only exception is that we are looking at a pretty major orthopedic surgery. However, if they determine she needs it sooner rather than later, I would stay here in Minnesota for an extra 6 months to a year, since we already know the surgeon and rehab specialists.
Where do most people go? I read on one thread that Billings and Denver seem to be good options. Do people on the western side of the state go to Salt Lake City? Are there any options that I am overlooking? I don't mind travelling. I know many parents bring their children to the Twin Cities from northern Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas for care and that seems to work out fine.
I can vouch for Billings. My daughter has Cystic Fibrosis and there is NO doctor in Sheridan that is familiar with CF. So she goes to Billings to a clinic that is held once per quarter. The CF Foundation sends up 2 doctors and 4 nurses that see all the cases for Wyoming, Montana, and part of North Dakota.
Billings has excellent medical facilities and hosts this clinic. When they do, they have a couple of their doctors work with the Foundation doctors so they can learn and get experience.
I've had two major surgeries in Billings and received outstanding care.
Denver and Salt Lake have everything you need. I started going to Salt Lake when I lived in Evanston, and have continued since moving to Cody. I've been very pleased with my physicians there.
Billings is only 120 miles from me, but very limited. When I recently needed a procedure, my personal physician told me that he couldn't recommend anyone in Billings. The problem is that it's not a large city, so a specialist may not often do some procedures. I prefer a big city where they do unusual procedures every day. I'm likely to need vascular surgery at some point. I could have it in Billings; but the surgeon may only perform one similar to mine once or twice per year. Elkhunter mentioned sending physicians to Billings. They don't need to be sent to Salt Lake or Denver; they're there all of the time.
I prefer Salt Lake to Denver as a city. The people are nicer; native English speakers abound. I lived in Colorado for thirty years, most of that time in the Front Range area. The only situation that would bring me back would be if 80% of the people died and there could be a fresh start. I always buy goodies of various sorts when I'm in a big city. Salt Lake has just about everything.
It really depends upon your needs, but as Happy said, Denver and Salt Lake have about anything you'd need.
I suggest that you ask your current specialist; he should know. When I needed the best for very tricky brain surgery 20 years ago, my specialist said there were only three doctors he could recommend -- in Denver, Rochester, MN and Boston. I'm sure there were others that could have handled it, but Denver undoubtedly has one of the top medical communities in the nation.
If you live in a rural area anywhere in the Rocky Mountain West, and that includes just about all of Wyoming, you will likely be looking at Denver or Salt Lake for specialized medical services. That is just the way it is. Because traveling distances are long everywhere in this region, that can be a real hardship for people whose specialized medical needs are frequent or constant.
Also, in many rural areas of the Rocky Mountain West, even somewhat routine emergency medical needs may mean getting medi-vac'd to a regional trauma center, either by ground ambulance or helicopter. Either way, you had better have good medical insurance. Helicopter medivac services in Colorado (and I would assume Wyoming would be similar) typically cost around $200 per mile. No, that is not a typo. A 200 mile helicopter medical transport can cost close to $40K. I know people who have personal experience with this, so I'm not pulling figures out of the air--excuse the pun.
The unfortunate truth is that a lot of people who live in rural areas of the Rocky Mountain West wind up relocating in or near metro areas if their medical needs become chronic and/or complex. Retirees and senior citizens contemplating moves to this region really need to think about this.
I can vouch for Billings. My daughter has Cystic Fibrosis and there is NO doctor in Sheridan that is familiar with CF. So she goes to Billings to a clinic that is held once per quarter. The CF Foundation sends up 2 doctors and 4 nurses that see all the cases for Wyoming, Montana, and part of North Dakota.
Billings has excellent medical facilities and hosts this clinic. When they do, they have a couple of their doctors work with the Foundation doctors so they can learn and get experience.
I've had two major surgeries in Billings and received outstanding care.
It sounds like your daughter is getting great care. I think that is great that the doctors hold clinics like that for chronic conditions. Good to know that Billings was good for you, as well! I will definitely research it more if one of jobs pans out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Happy in Wyoming
Denver and Salt Lake have everything you need. I started going to Salt Lake when I lived in Evanston, and have continued since moving to Cody. I've been very pleased with my physicians there.
Billings is only 120 miles from me, but very limited. When I recently needed a procedure, my personal physician told me that he couldn't recommend anyone in Billings. The problem is that it's not a large city, so a specialist may not often do some procedures. I prefer a big city where they do unusual procedures every day. I'm likely to need vascular surgery at some point. I could have it in Billings; but the surgeon may only perform one similar to mine once or twice per year. Elkhunter mentioned sending physicians to Billings. They don't need to be sent to Salt Lake or Denver; they're there all of the time.
I prefer Salt Lake to Denver as a city. The people are nicer; native English speakers abound. I lived in Colorado for thirty years, most of that time in the Front Range area. The only situation that would bring me back would be if 80% of the people died and there could be a fresh start. I always buy goodies of various sorts when I'm in a big city. Salt Lake has just about everything.
I am intrigued with the idea of going to Salt Lake City...probably because I have never been there! I definitely understand the comfort of choosing a surgeon that performs more difficult operations on a regular basis. My daughter had a fairly rare brain surgery(hemispherectomy) and we definitely went with a surgeon who had experience.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WyoNewk
It really depends upon your needs, but as Happy said, Denver and Salt Lake have about anything you'd need.
I suggest that you ask your current specialist; he should know. When I needed the best for very tricky brain surgery 20 years ago, my specialist said there were only three doctors he could recommend -- in Denver, Rochester, MN and Boston. I'm sure there were others that could have handled it, but Denver undoubtedly has one of the top medical communities in the nation.
Denver also draws me. It sounds like as long as I am willing to travel, I will have good options for my daughter. If my husband gets a job, I will definitely ask her current doctors. That is how we found our current GI doc. She trained the GI we used back in D.C. and tried to keep him in Minnesota. He ended up in D.C. to be near his wife's family.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzlover
If you live in a rural area anywhere in the Rocky Mountain West, and that includes just about all of Wyoming, you will likely be looking at Denver or Salt Lake for specialized medical services. That is just the way it is. Because traveling distances are long everywhere in this region, that can be a real hardship for people whose specialized medical needs are frequent or constant.
Also, in many rural areas of the Rocky Mountain West, even somewhat routine emergency medical needs may mean getting medi-vac'd to a regional trauma center, either by ground ambulance or helicopter. Either way, you had better have good medical insurance. Helicopter medivac services in Colorado (and I would assume Wyoming would be similar) typically cost around $200 per mile. No, that is not a typo. A 200 mile helicopter medical transport can cost close to $40K. I know people who have personal experience with this, so I'm not pulling figures out of the air--excuse the pun.
The unfortunate truth is that a lot of people who live in rural areas of the Rocky Mountain West wind up relocating in or near metro areas if their medical needs become chronic and/or complex. Retirees and senior citizens contemplating moves to this region really need to think about this.
I can see how the traveling can be a pain. Aside from our follow ups, most of what I need done can be accomplished over the phone or via fax.
Luckily we have not had to use emergency services for my daughter, so I am not too worried. She does have epilepsy, but we have diastat to stop seizures if they don't end on their own. That keeps her out of the hospital. Beyond that, I suppose any one of us could get injured and that is risk we are going to have to take. I think there are medical centers near or in the towns where my husband applied for jobs.
Thanks for all of the advice. It is reassuring to know she will still have quality medical care!
Here in Star Valley we have some pretty good orthopedic, but we(famely) have traveled to Jackson Hole, Idaho Falls Idaho, Logan, Ogden and SLC Utah to see doctors, Dad had a life flight from Afton to Idaho falls, Mom had heart surgery (got a cow valve) in Idaho Falls, but is now seeing a doctor in SLC. Daughter had knee surgery at the wounded knee in Logan. I had 2 shoulder surgeries in Afton with doctors from here, Logan and Jackson
It depends on where you live in the state. In the larger cities, they very well might have what you need as far as specialists. In other towns (and even the larger ones), the are roaming doctors that spend a day here, two days there...etc. Still other services are available such as traveling MRI machines and such.
My wife and I were going to a doc here in Rock Springs, but we weren't too confident in him and his....well just the way he did things, haha. Didn't communicate that well and it just didn't feel right. Now she drives down to the University of Utah in SLC, and loves it. Hates to drive such a long ways, but she is getting great doctors down there who spend LOTS of time with her, she is very pleased with her experience...in Salt Lake.
Along with Emergency stuff, I think alot of people...it depends what the issue is. About 18 months ago, my right leg looked slightly swollen compared to my left. I called the ER in Rock Springs; of which I've never heard great reviews. They had a 3 hour wait. We got in the car and drove to Evanston (100 miles away), to be seen right away. In the time it took to get in the car, go to Evanston, be seen, and drive back...we STILL were ahead of where we would have been, had we gone to the Rock Springs ER. I've talked to quite a few people who have said they've gone to the ER in Evanston for that very same reason.
I lived in Billings for 13 years before returning to Wyoming. I continue to see most of my specialists in Billings. It is closer for me than Denver and I get everything I need there. I do go to Rapid City for my eye specialist as it is closer than Billings and they have a great eye institute there. For my major neck surgery a little over a year ago I had the greatest surgeon, and he is right here in Gillette. I think it all depends on your daughter's specific needs. I agree that your current doctors may be able to lead you in the right direction. Regardless of where you live in Wyoming, it is most likely that you would need to travel a bit to get to any major medical centers, but to us driving 3 or 4 hours is not at all unusual! Best wishes to you all!
Georgia
Hello,
There are good doctors and hospitals in many disciplines including orthopedics and rheumatology, as well as many other types of surgery in France, you may contact samci for further information.
Good luck !
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
