Some say bigger is better. And when it comes to medical treatment, a recent study from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows this is true. According to the CDC, people living in rural areas are not getting as much preventative care and medical treatment as other Americans.
Wood County residents, however, have found that sometimes small is just as good.
Bowling Green, situated in rural Wood county, provides the same health care as many Americans in larger cities receive, according to Joanne Hayward. Hayward is in charge of the community services for the wood County Health Department.
“If you look at the statistics and compare Bowling Green to a more populated area, we provide very good preventative care and treatment for health concerns,” Hayward said.
Statistics from the Department of Health and Human Services tend to support the idea that Wood County residents are as healthy as residents living in more populated areas. Wood County, which has a population density of 193 people per square mile, has a higher average life expectancy than Lucas county, which has a population density of 1,327 people per square mile.
Lucas County residents report an average of 4.8 unhealthy days in a 30-day period, while Wood County residents reported an average of 3.0 unhealthy days. And when comparing adult preventative services used in each county, the percentages are almost identical.
“We provide some of the same programs here as they do in other counties,” Hayward said. “And there is no reason to believe the health care in our area is not as sufficient as in other areas.”
Dan Rutt, Toledo-Lucas County Health Planner, disagrees. He said that despite the statistics, transportation and proximity are still a problem in most rural counties. People in these areas usually do not get as much care as other more populated areas simply because they cannot get to doctors and hospitals as easily.
Hayward recognized transportation and proximity are a constant problem in rural counties. Wood County is the seventh largest county in Ohio, stretching over 620 square miles. The Wood County Hospital is currently the only hospital in the entire county, servicing people who may live as much as 20 miles away.
To combat this problem. The Wood County Health Department tries to bring health care closer to the patients.
The Help Me Grow Program is an example of such a service. This program provides home care to infants three years of age. Nurses visit the homes of these children to monitor growing, mental and physical skills, provide physical therapy, and teach parenting tools.
In addition to this program, the department offers satellites offices in Bradner, North Baltimore, Northwood and Perrysburg for easy accessibility. These offices are open anywhere from one to three days per month, offering the same programs as the main office.
“Our satellite offices offer the same programs as our main office in Bowling Green offers, with the exception of our prenatal care, said Kathy Ferrel, clinic supervisor in charge of the satellite offices in wood County. “And we also offer late night services at our main office three times a month for those who cannot get to Bowling Green during normal office hours.”
Hayward said the Wood County Health Department provides everyone a fair shot at health care.
“If we find out that someone needs health care, we find a way to get it to them. We don?t let distance become a problem when it affects people’s health,” she said.
