Access to health care challenge to state

Access to health care, and technology to better facilitate that care, is a big challenge in the rural areas of West Virginia.

U.S. Congressman David McKinley, R-W.Va., and West Virginia University President Dr. Gordon Gee brought together some of the state’s experts in health care and policy for a roundtable discussion Monday afternoon at WVU’s Erickson Alumni Center in Morgantown. The participants included physicians, nurses, administrators, and representatives of insurance, public agencies and resources, and post acute care.

Members of the public also gathered for the event, which focused on how to improve the health of citizens living in rural areas and offer quality care. The speakers addressed concerns and potential answers to the problems associated with rural health care.

Gee said improving the health of West Virginians is at the heart of WVU.

He commented that the university excels in educating the next generation of rural health care providers and does compelling health care research. Increasing access to quality health care is essential to the nation and will only become more important, he said.

McKinley, who represents the First District of West Virginia, pointed to the broad cross section of individuals who participated in the panel discussion and said it’s important for everyone to realize that the state has some great resources.

He emphasized that the country is very divided, based on the conflict of urban centers versus rural America. Rural areas have different problems than urban areas.

“It’s hard for us to be heard on health care matters,” McKinley said.

He said West Virginia needs to speak loudly about the needs of rural America. People in rural aras are still having to travel too far for health care, and they deserve to get the same careas those in big cities. McKinley’s goal on Monday was for the group to fine-tune some solutions for him to take back to Washington, D.C.

The challenge that rural health care providers face is getting lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to understand how they live and operate every day, said Robert Milvet, vice president and CFO of Preston Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Christopher Colenda, chancellor for Health Sciences at WVU and president and CEO of West Virginia United Health System, said health care is very much a team sport, but the rural providers often feel isolated. This isolation is due to the lack of support services, and also the problem of access to higher levels of acute and specialized careas well as transportation.

If the state can’t get the patient to a health care facility, it needs to bring the facility to the patient, Colenda said. Telemedicine consultations also allow for that expertise to be imported to rural America, but broadband is required.

Mara Benner, vice president of government affairs for Gentiva and member of partnership for Quality Home Health care, stressed that technology in rural areas is an issue in terms of health care. In facilities that are lacking internet access, practitioners have difficulty getting the resources they need, she said.

Much of the care that hospitals provide could actually be given by primary care providers in the community, said Dr. James Comerci, director of the Family Medicine Residency Program at Wheeling Hospital. The big obstacle is recruiting providers to serve in rural areas.

Dr. Lisa Costello, resident of internal medicine-pediatrics for WVU Healthcare, suggested that more options be made available for loan repayment forgiveness so that new medical school graduates can enter the field without being so much in the negative financially.

In terms of lifestyles and health outcomes, West Virginia is at the bottom of the rankings, said Bruce McClymonds, president of WVU Hospitals. For this reason, education on health topics is essential for the population.

Barbara Sisarcick, registered nurse and executive officer of Peterson Rehabilitation Hospital, agreed that education is the key. If the state is going to reach people, it must start educating the population about healthy behaviors at an early age.

Several panelists stressed the importance of growing the rural health care networks in the state and encouraging institutions to work together. They echoed that services need to be coordinated in the community in order to follow through with care after the patient leaves the health care facility.

Email Jessica Borders at jborders@timeswv.com or follow her on Twitter @JBordersTWV.