“My concern is that transportation availability is limited for vets for accessing health services and other essential destinations such as grocery stores. I am encouraging our citizens to help by volunteering to drive veterans in rural county locations.”
Food access can be a huge challenge for families in WNC’s hard-to-reach rural areas — especially during summer break when children are not receiving school lunch assistance.
The sometimes challenging road to health care in rural Western North Carolina extends beyond the curves of country back roads. Whether it’s dealing with the current physician shortage that affects all but Madison in the 16-county region or wrestling with social and economic barriers, local providers and patients share their challenges and plans to address rural health-care needs. (Cover by Emily Busey. Photo by Max Cooper.)
