#rural-health

#rural-health

The expansion of these programs was spurred by the pandemic, during which clinicians devised creative solutions when in-person care wasn't possible, she explained. For example, she recalled when acupuncture sessions shifted online during the pandemic. A VA physician quickly pivoted to holding virtual appointments teaching veterans "acu-touch" techniques they could use at home to relieve pain. This shows that innovation involves more than just technology, Clancy noted. It's about changing care delivery methods to meet patients where they are.

My 77-year-old mother wanted sympathy, the kind Mark believed was for the weak: offers of a cup of a tea, a hug. Long ago, decades even, she had learned not to seek it from him. With him, she was a trooper. At 62 she had retired and followed him up to a high desert mountain, 6,500ft (1,981 metres) in north-east California.

He mentioned several areas where AI is already demonstrating promise in healthcare. On the research side of things, Griffith noted that AI can accelerate drug discovery and speed up clinical trial recruitment, which could help patients gain access to new therapies more quickly. As for administrative use cases, he highlighted tools that allow for more accurate claims processing for payers and reduce the paperwork burden on clinicians.

"Money is not the only answer," said Jason Griffin, managing director at consulting firm Nordic Global.

Across the country, rural hospitals will close, and the empty towns will mirror the quiet halls where doctors and nurses once rushed to heal.

Under the CDU's proposal, foreign medical students in Germany may face tuition fees if they do not commit to practicing in rural areas post-graduation.

"It's going to be a lot more of a stress and a hassle for women to get the health care that they need because they have to go so much further..."

"It certainly is challenging to expose medical students early in their careers to the joys of this kind of integrated healthcare," Reddy said. "The relationships we build and the care we provide truly allow people to live longer with a better quality of life."

The cuts to the Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education Program jeopardize healthcare access in rural areas, leaving vulnerable populations without essential services.