America’s healthcare system can be complicated if you live in a large city. But for people in Michigan’s rural areas, the challenges are multiplied by distance, a lack of providers and stigma of substance abuse.
According to the Rural Health Information Hub, 178 health clinics care for the nearly 1.8 million Michiganders who live in rural areas in both the upper and lower peninsulas.
A documentary called The Providers debuts on WKAR-TV Monday at 10:00 p.m. focuses on the challenges of caring for people in Las Vegas, New Mexico, population 13,000.
We held a screening last month at WKAR and among those in attendance was Joyce Fetrow, a Recovery coach, and advocate based in Gaylord, Michigan. Fetrow talked with WKAR's Reginald Hardwick about the difficulties in providing health care in rural Northern Michigan.