Today's Farmer Magazine: Health care in the country

Small town hospitals save lives.

Dustin Cox knows this from personal experience. In February 2019, two of his coworkers at MFA Agri Services in Trenton noticed he was having a stroke and called 911.

For stroke patients, it is critical to get treatment as soon as possible. The ambulance took him to Wright Memorial Hospital, which is a part of the Saint Luke's Health System, where the medical team quickly diagnosed and stabilized him and transferred him to Saint Luke's Marion Bloch Neuroscience Institute via airlift for further treatment.

“If it wasn’t for our local hospital, I’m not sure what the outcome would have been,” said Cox, manager of MFA in Trenton, population 6,000. “You seldom hear good things about rural hospitals, but I received spot-on care. I’m a prime example of how local hospitals are essential.”

Unfortunately, not all small-town hospitals like Wright Memorial succeed, leaving a gap in care for many rural residents. 

Read the full Today's Farmer Magazine article: Health care in the country

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