Rural health needs discussed at Cape Girardeau event

Access to affordable health care was the focus of discussion during a rural health care forum Friday led by the Missouri Foundation for Health.

About 40 people attended the meeting, including health care providers, patients and representatives of community outreach organizations, at the Cape Girardeau Public Library to provide input for next statewide rural health plan. Information shared at the meeting also made the foundation aware of the area's needs as it determines future funding priorities, said Matt Kuhlenbeck, program officer with the Missouri Foundation for Health.

The organization has distributed 138 grants totaling $21.3 million in Southeast Missouri since 2002.

"I know that's a drop in the bucket compared to the needs you are trying to address in your community," Kuhlenbeck said.

A lack of medical specialists and lack of public transportation in Southeast Missouri make it difficult for residents to get the care they need, many participants said.

Many specialists who practice in the area won't take Medicaid and patients can't afford to pay for services, participants said.

"There is a lack of availability of referrals forcing primary care providers to practice outside of their field," said Dr. Vicki Roberts of Family Medicine of Southeast Missouri in Sikeston, Mo.

Several people agreed that more mental health specialists, particularly those who focus on helping children, are needed in Southeast Missouri.

Although Cape Girardeau now has the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority, many people in outlying counties find it a challenge getting to and from doctor's appointments, participants said.

According to Bill Osborne, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Transportation Service, one in 10 families in Southeast Missouri don't have a vehicle.

Forum participants seemed to agree that Cape Girardeau County has a strong support system to meet health care needs, but residents in other counties face more obstacles.

"We're not all hitting all the rural communities because we are spread too thin," said Molly Strickland of Lutheran Family and Children's Services.

Tammy Gwaltney, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence, which represents 10 counties, echoed those concerns.

"The further south we go, the resources are so limited. There's only so much you can do with so little," Gwaltney said.

Additional programs to promote healthy lifestyle choices would improve health in Southeast Missouri, several participants said.

"Sweet tea is killing Missourians," said Roberts, who added that most of the patients she sees have diabetes.

Southeast Missourians also have a greater incidence of high cholesterol, blood pressure and inactivity. Eight out of nine counties in Southeast Missouri have tobacco use rates higher than the national average, Kuhlenbeck said.

The Missouri Office of Primary Care and Rural Health and the Missouri Rural Health Association co-sponsored the event.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

711 N. Clark Ave., Cape Girardeau, MO