“As a nurse for over 35 years, I’ve seen many horror stories when it comes to the healthcare system but my experience practicing in rural Georgia opened my eyes to the issues of access to care based on your zip code. When my patient came in feeling short of breath with chest pains, we checked his vitals and immediately sent him to the hospital. But when he made it to the hospital, and was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, he didn’t receive the care he needed due to a lack of resources at this rural hospital and a lack of any cardiologist expertise. There was no cardiologist at this hospital. He stayed there for nearly 6 days without making improvements, and his family finally demanded he be transferred to an Atlanta hospital. Besides the lack of resources and expertise in this hospital, he was covered under Medicaid but was missing one aspect of coverage which led to the cost of some of his required drugs not being covered. Access to appropriate specialists can be a life-or-death situation and so can coverage of necessary drugs. My story is the norm in most healthcare deserts.”
