Today is National Rural Health Day, and at NTCA, we are proud to celebrate the collective work of the association and our members using technology to help meet the health care needs of individuals across rural America.
Rural Americans often get the short end of the stick when it comes to accessing care. While many communities across the country are experiencing health care worker shortages, 68% of those communities are in rural areas. When I need to go to the doctor here in Arlington, Va., I have access to any number of providers and specialists within minutes of my house. And yet I have still found it wildly helpful to utilize our Teladoc program on occasion given the convenience of getting medical care from my desk! In many rural areas, if you need to see a doctor, you might be in your car for hours driving to the nearest clinic.
It’s no surprise that NTCA members, who have long been on the forefront of technological innovation and creativity to help connect the most remote areas of the country, have helped with the development of telemedicine in their communities. One of our members had the idea to partner with a local cardiologist after his mother was diagnosed with heart problems and needed to be driven to the medical clinic a few times a week for basic monitoring. He had a eureka moment that the broadband his company provided could power the technology that would allow her to do the monitoring from her living room, and he could spend more time at his own office instead of driving her back and forth. The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) has created the Virtual Living Room® program, where veterans can access telehealth instead of having to travel to their VA hospital. The concept is simple but powerful for those who have served our country to be able to receive care, particularly mental health support, from a safe place in their community. Telemedicine became even more critical during the pandemic. In Minnesota, pregnant moms in some of the northernmost parts of the state were able to virtually meet with their doctor thanks to the power of broadband.
Many NTCA members also participate in our Group Health Program (GHP) medical plans, which provide services to more than 40,000 individuals across rural America. These individuals not only have access to competitive medical plans, but also to virtual services like our new “Fitness on Demand” program and Teladoc, which provides 24/7 access to telehealth providers for GHP users. I was particularly proud when we partnered with Teladoc last year to begin offering behavioral health services to our members as well. The timing of those new services could not have been better given what the past twenty months have done to increase our anxiety level as a nation.
I encourage all of our members to celebrate the ways they enable health care in their communities in recognition of National Rural Health Day!
