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Rural communities offer some of the best living experiences. There’s typically more peace in comparison to city living. A low cost of living contributes to a higher quality of life. You’re close to nature and can take full advantage of the mental and physical health benefits that come with that. There’s a lot less pollution from traffic, cleaner air, and a deeper focus on environmentally-friendliness. 

Even with all that rural communities have to offer, there’s a serious concern about how far away you are from essential services, like healthcare services. The distance from healthcare services has led many to suffer from chronic illnesses and injuries and adopt unhealthy behaviors more often. 

Challenges Accessing Healthcare Services in Rural Communities

Healthcare services should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their location, background, or abilities. However, as much as the world wants to achieve this goal, some elements block this from happening, especially in rural communities. 

The shortage of medical professionals 

The biggest problem that affects healthcare services in rural communities is something that has been affecting all healthcare institutions in recent years: shortages among healthcare employees. The pandemic drove 1 out of every 5 healthcare workers to leave their positions, and 18% of healthcare workers of any level have quit since that time. 

The shortages in medical professionals can be attributed to: 

• People are living longer causing more dependency on healthcare professionals;
• The baby boomer generation of medical professionals is approaching retirement;
• Workers leaving their roles because of burnout and mental health challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Rural communities feel the brunt of these closures because healthcare services are already limited in these areas. Getting a local primary physician is difficult. For people who need essential specialty healthcare services, like obstetrics or cardiology, the challenge is even greater. 

If big-name hospitals and healthcare facilities are feeling the strain of staff shortages, imagine what those in rural communities are feeling.

Hospital closures in rural areas 

There’s not only a shortage of medical professionals generally, but there are fewer quality healthcare workers available in rural communities because of closures. From 2010 to 2021 136 rural hospitals closed — with 19 of these closures happening in 2020. 

Even if rural hospitals are unaffected by staff shortages, they may not be able to keep up with rising costs due to inflation, and slowing patient volumes may cause even more financial struggles — both of which may culminate into closures. 

There must be a focus on providing rural hospitals and healthcare facilities the resources and support they need to function at 100% long-term to halt closures. For example, additional grants awarded to rural hospitals from state and government organizations will help them meet their financial obligations. 

From here, healthcare organizations will be able to pay workers what they deserve and offer benefits that make positions in rural hospitals more enticing. With more quality doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals, rural residents are more likely to stay and support these institutions as well.

Transportation limitations 

People who live in rural communities often have to travel farther than those in urban communities to visit their primary care physicians, specialists, and other medical professionals. 

The U.S. Government Accountability Office says that residents in rural communities travel up to 20 miles further for common services, and up to 40 miles for less common services, like drug and alcohol treatment. 

Having to travel so far for medical services makes them inaccessible to many residents, whether because they don’t have transportation of their own or access to public transportation, physical or mental health challenges prevent them, or their responsibilities don’t permit time off. 

Localizing healthcare and preventing the organizations and clinics already in rural communities from closing are crucial for making services more accessible.  Introducing telehealth services can also help ease the burden of transportation limitations. 

Lack of wellness resources and activities 

Although rural communities are closer to nature, which does have its health benefits, other external factors may contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle. 

People need access to more than hospitals and clinics to achieve a healthy lifestyle. They need to socialize. They need groceries and access to healthy food options. Gyms, health stores, yoga studios, wellness classes, parks. All of these things contribute to a healthy person. 

Having these amenities closer to rural residents helps healthcare become a bit more accessible. 

What You Should Do If You’re Moving to a Rural Community 

There are pros and cons to moving to a rural community. For example, diversity doesn’t run deep in rural communities. But self-employment opportunities are available and you can create strong personal connections within tight-knit rural communities. 

And the big disadvantage we’ve already mentioned is the lack of available medical services. If you’re set on moving to a rural community, carefully planning how you’ll access health services beforehand is critical. 

Map out where the closest hospitals and clinics are and how long it will take you to get to them. Is there more than one route to these places? What can you do if the main route isn’t available? 

Determine how long it would take for emergency services to get to you. Also, check your access to specialists and less-common healthcare services. Find out what your insurance covers and who your primary care physician will be. 

The more details you plan out about your healthcare access, the easier it will be to ensure you get the care you need when you need it. 

Conclusion 

Millions of Americans live in rural communities. Most, if not all of them are facing challenges with accessing healthcare due to the shortage of medical professionals, hospital closures, transportation limitations, and a lack of wellness resources and activities. 

Understanding these challenges and carefully planning around them to ensure you can access the healthcare services you need will help you maintain a healthy being despite these limitations. 

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