Blog

National Rural Health Day: Highlighting the Importance of Community Hospitals

Door County Medical Center StaffDoor County Medical Center is joining hospitals throughout the country to celebrate National Rural Health Day on Thursday, November 18th, 2021. In celebrating National Rural Health Day, we honor and recognize the healthcare workers and facilities that keep small towns across America healthy, and highlight the healthcare challenges that face rural American communities today.

A lack of access to quality healthcare affects millions of rural Americans every year.

An estimated 57 million people – nearly one in five Americans – live in rural and frontier communities throughout the United States. For this population, access to high quality healthcare has become increasingly difficult. Between 2010 and January 2019 for instance, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) reported that 95 rural hospitals permanently closed their doors. While the reasons for these closures are rooted in a complex mix of economic, social and geographic factors, the results are generally the same: single healthcare systems often end up providing services for excessively large areas of the country. According to a recent NPR article, a single healthcare provider in central Wisconsin now covers around 35,000 square miles.

The importance of rural, community hospitals, located in close proximity to their communities, cannot be understated. Currently, many people in rural America have to travel large distances to receive high quality care, and the long travel times come with a number of negative consequences, the two primary consequences being:

  • Higher disease incidence and worse outcomes: People that need to travel large distances to receive healthcare, tend to see a physician less frequently. This results in less preventative care, a higher incidence of illness, and disease progression that is further along.

  • Less access to emergency medical services (EMS): A 2017 study by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill found that accidental injuries were 16% more common in rural areas than in urban areas. Unfortunately, fewer rural hospitals results in longer wait times for EMS, often at moments when mere minutes can make a big difference in patient outcomes.

These communities also face unique healthcare needs, like an aging population suffering from a greater number of chronic conditions and larger percentages of un- and underinsured citizens.

Community hospitals play a vital role in local economies

Community hospitals not only support their community’s physical health, but also their economic health. According to the National Rural Health Association, hospitals in smaller American communities are “typically the first, second, or third largest employer,” in that community, and provide not only the “obvious clinical and ancillary jobs, [but also] a host of supporting positions, building and construction, facility maintenance and more.” Additionally, with a thriving rural hospital system comes increased economic activity that ripples outward as “demand for schools, housing, transportation, and other services go up.” In fact, in 2018 the American Hospital Association reported that “every dollar spent by a hospital supports roughly $2.30 of additional business activity.”

Supporting the health of the Door County community

Door County Medical Center Surgical StaffWith clinics throughout Door and in Kewaunee County, Door County Medical Center has led the way in providing high-quality, accessible care to residents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for more than 75 years.

If you need to see a specialist, there is no need for long travel times to an urban medical center. Door County Medical Center not only boasts readily available primary and family care, but also an array of specialties and departments, which include the Women’s and Children’s Center, the Door Orthopedic Center, Behavioral Health, General Surgery, The Door County Cancer Center, The Heartburn and Reflux Center of Door County, rehabilitation services and a skilled nursing facility. Additionally, DCMC has partnered with Prevea to supplement services not often available in a rural setting in order to decrease the number of times patients need to be referred to an urban provider.

Door County Medical Center plays an important role in supporting the economic health of the community. By employing 667 hospital staff, and supporting an additional 552 jobs through hospital purchases, DCMC is the largest employer in Door County. It is estimated that DCMC accounts for nearly $136,997,824 in overall economic activity and contributes $90,236,461 in total income to the Door County community.

Building community connections, both large and small

An important aspect of small town healthcare systems is the close connection to both the individual resident and the greater community. On the individual level, our healthcare providers are able to develop relationships with individual community members in a manner not usually found in cities. In other words, at DCMC you’ll get the kind of one-on-one care and extra attention that is often lost in large, urban medical centers. On the greater community level, Door County Medical Center takes a holistic approach to community health by supporting and partnering with more than fifty Door and Kewaunee County community organizations to support and improve the quality of life and well-being of all residents.

Published 11/8/2021 7:00:00 AM
Tags: Awareness, community health, health, healthcare, news, rural, rural healthcare

Search our blog

Popular Tags

3D Mammography   75   75th   acid reflux   addiction   adrc   advance directive   Affective   alcohol   Algoma   Algoma Community Wellness Center   als   alzheimer's disease   Ambassador   American College of Healthcare Executives   Angel Ball   anniversary   antibody treatment   anti-bullying   apnea   art   art for health   art gallery   arthritis   athlete   athletic edge camp   athletic trainer   Auxiliary   award   awards   Awareness   back   behavioral health   bill   bone marrow transplant   Bravo   Breast Cancer Awareness Month   breast cancer prevention   breastfeeding   Brian   brussels sprout slaw   Burkitt Leukemia   C.H.I.P.   cancer   cardiac   cardiopulmonary services   care manager   cataracts   catholic   catholic sisters   Celebrate Community   celebration   center   Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services   ceremony   certification   childcare   children   CHNA   cold flu prevention   colon cancer   colonoscopy   community   community health   Community outreach   Coronavirus   COVID 19   COVID-19 booster   COVID-19 vaccine   critical access hospital   CT scanner   cyberbullying   da Vinci robot   da Vinci Surgical System   daisy award   Daylight Savings Time   DCMC   DCMC Auxiliary   DCMC staff   dementia   dental clinic   dentist   depot   depression   dermatology   diabetes   diagnostic imaging   Diana Wallace   diet   directcare   Disorder   dogs   Domestic Violence Awareness   donate   donor   Door County   Door County CARES   door county half marathon   Door County Meals Cooperative   door county schools   Door County Triathlon   Door County YMCA   Door Healthy Weight Center   Door Orthopedic Center   Dr. Daniel Tomaszewski   Dr. Elizabeth Gaida   Dr. Mark Jordan   Dr. Michael St. Jean   Dr. Reisner   Dr. Rory Johnson   Dr. Shaun Melarvie   drive-through clinic   e-cigs   economic impact   economy   Edge 3D   Education   emergency department   employee art   employment   environment   environmental stewardship   exercise   eye surgery   fair   Family   family medicine   family practice   farmer's market   first responders   fitness   five   five star hospital   Florence Nightingale   flu   foot   foot pain   Foundation   fundraiser   gallery   gardening   general surgery   Gerald   GERD   gynecological procedures   handwashing   happy holidays   head   health   health insurance   health tips   healthcare   healthcare career   healthcare decisions   healthcare leader   healthcare leaders   healthy eating   heart   heart healthy   heart-attack   heartburn   Heartburn and Reflux Center   Help Our Heroes   hernia   hernia screening   hip replacement   history   HOPELINE   hospice   hospital   House and Garden Walk   HPV   Human Kindness Project   immunization   infant   insomnia   insurance workshop   international overdose awareness day   internships   job   job openings   jody boes   joint replacement   June   kelsie ladick   kids   Kids' health   kim   knee replacement   Lab Drive-Thru   LEAP   lice   life   LifeAssist   living will   luke spude   lyme disease   mammography   marinara sauce   medical services   medication   memory   memory clinic   memory loss   men's health   men's health month   mental health   mental illness   milk   ministry   ministry fund   mission and values   MRI   National Donate Life Month   national heath decisions day   national hospital week   National Nurses Week   National Organ Donation Day   National Women’s History Month   navigator   New Year   newborn   news   no surprise act   non-profits   North Shore Medical Clinic   Northeast Wisconsin Technical College   novel coronavirus   nurse   nursing   nursing excellence   nursing program   nutrition   nwtc   obesity   OB-GYN   open house   ophthalmologist   opioid   OPSU   organ   organ donor   orthopedics   outpatient surgery   outreach   pap test   patient   patient care   patient financial services   Patti Balestrieri   Paula Hobart   pediatrics   pelvic health   pets   physical activity   physical therapy   plastic surgery   podiatrist   post exercise tips   PRC   Prevea   prevention   primary care   Providers   race   recipe   recovery   recruitment   reflux   rehab services   resolutions   respiratory illness   robotic surgery   rotator cuff repair   RSV   running   rural   rural healthcare   SAAM   SAD   safe haven   scholarship   scholarships   school   School Nursing   Seasonal   senior life solutions   senior therapy   Seniors   services   sexual assault   Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner   Shop and Dine Day   Sister Bay   Sister Bay Clinic   skilled nursing   skilled nursing facility   skin cancer   Sleep   sleep disorder   sleep lab   smoking   snf   social justice   sparc   specialty providers   sports   sports medicine   sports training   St. Francis   star   state-of-the-art   Stephens   stroke patients   studer group   suicide awareness   suicide awareness month   suicide prevention   summer   summer programs   sun care   surgery   sweet dreams   swiggum   technology   Teen health   Teens   telemedicine   teleNICU   telepediatrics   The Angel Ball   The Community's Garden   The Healing Project   therapy   ticks   tissue donor   to   tooth fairy   training tips   Treatment   triathlon   urgent care   vaccination   vaccinations   vaccine   vaping   virtual appontments   virtual visit   vision   vlog   volunteers   wall   Washington Island   wellness   Wendy Ulrikson   women's center   women's health   work injuries   world breastfeeding week   Worrick   wound care   years   YMCA   youth workshops