Rural Health Care: The Healing Ministry of Christ

I still remember the day my brother had a severe allergic reaction. My mom had discovered his hives following a dinner of fish (we lived on a lake in Minnesota), and after a quick call to the doctor's office and a round of Benadryl, I was told to jump into the car beside my 2-year-old brother and we sped off to the nearest large hospital — a good 50 minutes away. Our rural town had no medical practice and no ambulance services. Along the way, my mom would periodically ask me if my brother was still breathing. At one point she even pulled over to check on him. It was not a pleasant experience for my 6-year-old self.

I am sure my own experience is played out over and over again in rural areas: a midnight fever, a farm accident, an elderly person who falls. Health care services seem to get farther and farther away, which is unhelpful in situations where time is of the essence. Routine checkups that can catch ailments early are also getting skipped ­ — rural patients finding the distance too hard or too expensive to traverse. In this issue, CRL takes a look at various issues facing rural health care today. We dive deep into the stress farmers face and the toll it takes on their mental health. We also look at some unique ways dioceses are bringing doctors to their flocks.

May Christ, the Divine Physician, minister to all of your discomforts, be it in mind, body or soul.