Improved Health Care Access Details
Access and quality of healthcare in Rockingham County are compromised by two main features, namely, those in our county who are uninsured and underinsured and the shortage of capable health care providers and systems.
Rockingham County has had difficulty retaining qualified clinicians in our community in recent years. There is a distinct shortage of primary care and some specialty clinicians. As with other issues, the county lead by commissioners can help with a robust attempt to make our county the kind of place that health care professionals wish to live and raise their families. We need to focus on improved public education and community services and resources that would be attractive to young families. Additionally, recruiting good industry will help increase the number of people with at least basic health insurance which will help support a solid medical community.
Ann Brady has firsthand experience due to one incident with her dear friend; our county lost its cancer center in Eden and lost caring and excellent providers as a result. People who stayed in county for cancer treatment had to move to another hospital. That doctor left and another came; the new one will be leaving in summer. This is just one example showing that the perception that one must leave the county for good services may be justified. At this point there are no GI, urology, or pain management doctors at UNC Rockingham Health Care.
In addition, access to quality mental health services is limited; there are very few private providers and public services continue to be quite limited. Local inpatient treatment centers outside of ER’s are not available. One quarter of mental health services are paid for by Medicaid dollars and there is significant free care delivered; the lack of expansion dollars therefore compromises the ability to work effectively on the opioid crisis and compromises the ability to develop a strong mental health system.
Ann is very concerned about access to emergency services for people on the western side of the county; they do not have access to a hospital or ER without significant travel time. We also need to look at access to EMS services; there have been recent cutbacks and pay for workers remains low compared to neighboring areas.
A major issue for our state and by extension for our county is the lack of Medicaid expansion. Sadly, our state is one of 18 in the country that has rejected Medicaid expansion to the working poor. This decision impacts several thousand adults in our county. Although most of these people work, they cannot afford regular insurance and are left outside access to regular preventive health care. As a result, rural counties such as ours lose prospective industries that avoid areas with sicker potential workers and it increases costs to other programs and services (i.e., special education, public health, mental health, and social services). At least in part due to lack of access to Medicaid, the state’s hospitals gave away about a billion dollars in charity care last year on top of hundreds of millions in bad debt from patients who could not pay, something that has also hurt the bottom lines of small hospitals in particular. Medicaid expansion would not only benefit those who would gain healthcare access, it is estimated that it would provide 43,000 NC jobs by 2020, about half in health care with the rest in construction, retail and wholesale, scientific and technical professions, and the food and beverage industries.
As long as people find better (or even perceived better) services elsewhere at about the same travel distance, they will leave; and as long as people leave, services here will not improve.
The commission needs to work diligently with health care providers to research available and needed resources and help facilitate access point for local residents within the existing health care system. They also need to work diligently to advocate for Medicaid expansion in our state without which we will continue to lose employment opportunities, health care access and availability for all residents, and preventative care reducing overall costs.
Ann's experience and training have included work in the mental health field as well as work with Medicaid programs in the schools and coordination with various health care professionals. She can offer a knowledgeable voice to the community.
Rockingham County has had difficulty retaining qualified clinicians in our community in recent years. There is a distinct shortage of primary care and some specialty clinicians. As with other issues, the county lead by commissioners can help with a robust attempt to make our county the kind of place that health care professionals wish to live and raise their families. We need to focus on improved public education and community services and resources that would be attractive to young families. Additionally, recruiting good industry will help increase the number of people with at least basic health insurance which will help support a solid medical community.
Ann Brady has firsthand experience due to one incident with her dear friend; our county lost its cancer center in Eden and lost caring and excellent providers as a result. People who stayed in county for cancer treatment had to move to another hospital. That doctor left and another came; the new one will be leaving in summer. This is just one example showing that the perception that one must leave the county for good services may be justified. At this point there are no GI, urology, or pain management doctors at UNC Rockingham Health Care.
In addition, access to quality mental health services is limited; there are very few private providers and public services continue to be quite limited. Local inpatient treatment centers outside of ER’s are not available. One quarter of mental health services are paid for by Medicaid dollars and there is significant free care delivered; the lack of expansion dollars therefore compromises the ability to work effectively on the opioid crisis and compromises the ability to develop a strong mental health system.
Ann is very concerned about access to emergency services for people on the western side of the county; they do not have access to a hospital or ER without significant travel time. We also need to look at access to EMS services; there have been recent cutbacks and pay for workers remains low compared to neighboring areas.
A major issue for our state and by extension for our county is the lack of Medicaid expansion. Sadly, our state is one of 18 in the country that has rejected Medicaid expansion to the working poor. This decision impacts several thousand adults in our county. Although most of these people work, they cannot afford regular insurance and are left outside access to regular preventive health care. As a result, rural counties such as ours lose prospective industries that avoid areas with sicker potential workers and it increases costs to other programs and services (i.e., special education, public health, mental health, and social services). At least in part due to lack of access to Medicaid, the state’s hospitals gave away about a billion dollars in charity care last year on top of hundreds of millions in bad debt from patients who could not pay, something that has also hurt the bottom lines of small hospitals in particular. Medicaid expansion would not only benefit those who would gain healthcare access, it is estimated that it would provide 43,000 NC jobs by 2020, about half in health care with the rest in construction, retail and wholesale, scientific and technical professions, and the food and beverage industries.
As long as people find better (or even perceived better) services elsewhere at about the same travel distance, they will leave; and as long as people leave, services here will not improve.
The commission needs to work diligently with health care providers to research available and needed resources and help facilitate access point for local residents within the existing health care system. They also need to work diligently to advocate for Medicaid expansion in our state without which we will continue to lose employment opportunities, health care access and availability for all residents, and preventative care reducing overall costs.
Ann's experience and training have included work in the mental health field as well as work with Medicaid programs in the schools and coordination with various health care professionals. She can offer a knowledgeable voice to the community.