Rural health care
You might need an ambulance, but your state might not see it as ‘essential’
When someone with a medical emergency calls 911, they expect an ambulance to show up. But sometimes, there simply isn’t one available. Most states don’t declare emergency medical services (EMS) to be an “essential service,” meaning the state government isn’t required to provide or fund them. Now, though, a growing number of states are taking […]
Health providers across the US call this Sioux Falls facility for help
In a small town in rural Nebraska, physician assistant Heather Kreber is one of a handful of health care providers. Patients rely on her for everything from routine checkups to emergency medical care. On one occasion at 3 in the morning, Kreber received a call about an incoming patient with severe burns. “It was pretty […]
Telehealth brings expert sexual assault exams to rural patients
Amanda Shelley was sitting in her dentist’s waiting room when she received a call from the police. A local teenage girl had been sexually assaulted and needed an exam. Shelley, a nurse in rural Eagle County, Colorado, went to her car and called a telehealth company to arrange an appointment with a sexual assault nurse […]