Healthier Rural Communities are Within Our Reach   

National Grange President Betsy Huber says we must leverage every tool that helps prevent common illnesses among older adults and those with chronic illness.

In Post Pandemic America, Healthier Communities Are Within Our Reach
Opinion Editorial by: Betsy Huber

America is changing post pandemic and along with that change is the opportunity for our health care system, and the people served by it, to change as well. One great example of this is illustrated by life in rural America. According to a study recently published in Rural Sociology, for the first time in 50 years, the population growth in rural America actually exceeded growth in cities. This is good news in the long term, but to sustain it requires looking objectively at the current advantages and limitations of rural living and addressing the challenges.

Although 97 percent of US land is defined as rural, only about 19 percent of Americans live on it. Increased privacy, the absence of constant traffic, and beautiful views are among the many advantages, but it is also generally true that small communities have more limited resources and that over time, many decline in size. Those who stay are far more likely to be aging in place regardless of the impact the decline may have had on the availability of services.

Rural America has often found it hard to attract clinicians, struggled to keep hospitals open and must often come face to face with the three inescapable obstacles to quality health care: scarcity, distance and increased risks associated with aging. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one in five rural Americans is age 65 or older, a number that will likely rise as more and more baby boomers reach Medicare eligibility age. The health vulnerabilities associated with aging are only compounded by the fact that rural Americans are also more likely to suffer from multiple chronic conditions and be uninsured or underinsured. As May is Older Americans Month, it is a good time to recognize not only the changing demographics of the rural population but also the urgent need for new solutions to address the health challenges facing all rural Americans, especially those of advanced age.

The Grange is the only national organization that has, over its 156 years in existence, focused upon all aspects of rural life. In recent decades, access to quality healthcare and the technology, economic resources and scientific expertise and commitment to innovation needed to deliver it have become a vital part of the work we do in communities throughout the country. It is essential for continued public policy support for educational outreach, strengthening and expansion of health care facilities and services, and rural access to technology to protect young and old against serious illness.

As the COVID-19 public health emergency is ending and we transition away from some of the emergency protocols which may no longer be necessary, we must continue to provide support and protection for those most vulnerable, both young and old, in our communities. One way to do this is to leverage every tool that helps to prevent common illnesses more likely to result in serious complications for older adults and those with heightened health risks due to chronic illness. Certainly COVID-19 remains a serious threat, but it is important to remember that even before the pandemic, 1.5 million Americans were diagnosed annually with pneumonia, and in the most recent flu season, the CDC estimates that upwards of 600,000 Americans were hospitalized due to the flu. And these illnesses are even more concerning for rural Americans as the death rate for flu and pneumonia is higher in rural areas.

While the dangers of the fall respiratory season will likely continue to be heightened, there are ways to protect ourselves through vaccines, some of which like the pneumonia vaccine can be taken anytime during the year. The last three years have shown us how simple prevention can help strengthen our defenses, especially for those in rural America who may not be able to seek immediate care.

Time will tell if the call to rural life will continue to help build back communities through the countryside and in small towns. In the meantime, the Grange will continue to advocate for positive change that allows for growth and expansion, while also ensuring the promise of a healthy, quality life is still attainable for the millions of men and women and children who have sacrificed so much to sustain our rural communities.

Betsy Huber, now serving her 4th term in office, is President of The National Grange, an organization serving and advocating for rural and small town America since 1867.