Poverty & Health Problems In Rural Areas Of Georgia

Rural residents are struggling with the major shortage of doctors, hospitals and clinics in rural Georgia. Not only do the residents have to deal with this shortage but poverty and the inability to access healthcare is on the rise in rural areas. People who don’t have access to healthcare due to transportation, income and insurance tend to be sicker, which in return causes them to use more resources when they finally get to see a doctor or nurse practitioner.

This contributes to the increase in the cost of healthcare across the board. When your health is not maintained routinely, individuals could end up with disease presentations that are much farther along. Rural areas not only face the challenge of health disparities as a community but individuals within the rural community also experience even greater health disparities amongst themselves.

The African American population suffer great inequities when it comes to accessibility to healthcare, they are more likely than other rural residents to experience an increase in morbidity and mortality related to chronic illnesses like diabetes, cancer, hypertension and heart disease. Since 2001, more than 8 rural hospitals have closed. There are now approximately 54 rural hospitals in our state. (Nelson,2016). This causes grave consequences for the community and the cycle of the shortage of hospitals, doctors and clinics continues and leads to it being that much harder to access healthcare amongst the rural citizens of Georgia.

Who

The key stake holders concerned about the trend are individuals or organizations that will be impacted with any type of modification in healthcare policy. These individuals and organizations tend to be doctors, nurses, pharmacist, lawyers, hospitals, patients, clinics, insurance companies, communities, policy makers and government. All have an influence when it comes to changes to the healthcare system. These individuals and organizations can come together as a powerful voice for all to help change healthcare policy, so that healthcare is abundantly available and equal for all.

Why

Rural residents reside in areas that causes them long commutes to any type of healthcare. Some individuals have reported 30-50min commutes to the nearest hospital. As a result, these individuals decide not to see a physician or struggle trying to commute there and back home. Most individuals don’t have transportation to get to their doctors for care, let alone afford the gas to make such commute.

Ubers and Lyfts are not as effective in rural areas and if they are present they are more than likely to only commute from the hospital and can be costly for people in rural areas. Rural residents who live on farms, ranches, reservations, and frontiers often must travel long distances to reach a health care provider. That means taking hours off from work for an initial appointment or follow-up, which causes many to delay or avoid care (Warsaw, 2017).

Due to the decision not to expand Medicaid in Georgia most individuals don’t have health insurance and majority can’t afford to pay for insurance. Doctors who see patients on Medicaid or Medicare essentially lose money due to the low reimbursement, this also contributes to the doctor shortage in rural areas. Poverty in rural areas of Georgia is at a high.

One insurance agent for low income clients witnessed “I mean, I have seen them with lawn chairs for furniture, sleeping on a mattress put on the floor with no frame,” he said. About once a month he’ll visit someone who has plastic or cardboard instead of windows, and more often, people with no teeth or no car. Some are taking care of grandchildren. “That’s just how it is,” he said (Hart, 2018). Due to the poverty level in rural areas Individuals are living in unhealthy conditions, don’t have the necessities of daily living to care for themselves and are suffering in silence.