Health care, housing still a challenge after flooding devastated eastern Kentucky community
May 31, 2024
The mountainous and largely rural areas of eastern Kentucky remain on the road to recovery after historic and deadly flooding in 2022.
Small towns have a big problem with health care. But they also have the resilience to meet the problem. People in rural communities live almost three years fewer than urban dwellers, and they’re more likely to die early from heart disease or a stroke.
The reasons are varied and not always understood.
Higher rates of tobacco use, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure increase the risk for serious diseases. Rural communities face severe shortages of health care professionals. People may live a long way from hospitals or clinics. Or they may reside in “food deserts,” remote from reliable access to healthy food.
Even so, the advantages of rural life, including a strong sense of connection, of neighbors helping neighbors, provide a sturdy foundation for overcoming these health disparities.
The American Heart Association visited Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky, The Dakotas and West Virginia to try to understand the rural health challenges people face, and how they are working to overcome them. Watch our Health Wanted video reports to see how they’re responding to improve their communities.
Great distances and multiple health care systems in the nation’s largest state.
The Ioway tribe grapples with food insecurity by returning to traditional farming methods.
People face rugged terrain, long distances and other barriers to health.
Long distances and fewer medical professionals impact emergency response.
While the state ranks low in many health categories, people there are working to make a difference.
The AHA has issued a Presidential Advisory identifying rural health challenge as one of three main barriers to health equity and is making a wide-ranging effort to address it in close cooperation with communities that are affected.
The Advisory highlights these urgent needs:
Improving care at hospitals and clinics with no-cost access to Get With the Guidelines® programs for coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke.
Enlisting service-minded people to work in rural communities to improve heart health.
HeartCorps is a service opportunity for those interested in driving health equity in rural America with the AHA.
Funding $20 million in projects to find fresh solutions to the issues.
We’re dedicated to removing barriers to health – such as the challenges rural Americans face. We’re telling these stories to raise awareness about these problems. Join our efforts to combat issues in rural America and in other communities.
Donate: Your gift can help support the full mission of the AHA, including increased access to care.
May 31, 2024
The mountainous and largely rural areas of eastern Kentucky remain on the road to recovery after historic and deadly flooding in 2022.
May 30, 2024
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May 29, 2024
In a state where mountains and winding roads can make getting emergency services and health care hard, Kentuckians turn to technology and new training for help.
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Through partnerships with clinics and funders in West Virginia and across the U.S., the AHA helps provide blood pressure devices to people with little access to care.
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West Virginia has some of the highest rates of chronic illness in the nation, with doctors and hospitals few and far between. Community health workers fill that gap.
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The AHA offers toolkits, educational materials, staff training and other resources in rural areas, all to help reduce cardiovascular risk factors and improve heart health.