Our yearlong Changing Face of Rural Health Care series has hit the halfway mark.
The vital signs are strong. In this issue, we travel to Bend, Oregon, to discover the special connection between horses and people, and learn about the healing that can come through four-legged therapy.
As one young woman who saw her mental outlook brighten said, “I knew the horse wasn’t going to judge me. And slowly, piece by piece, it let my wall fall down.”
In September, Assistant Editor Mike Teegarden will take us on a different journey. Through word and mostly lens, Mike—a skilled photojournalist and editor—will share a portrait of how health care is delivered to a remote village in Alaska, not far from the Arctic Circle. This is a place where care is quite personal, and health care providers are family.
Throughout this year, we’ve sought to offer heroes, help and hope.
The health care video we posted in July, “Coming Out of the Dark,” draws attention to the opioid crisis in the rural Northwest and, more importantly, offers inspiration and hope. If you haven’t checked it out, please do.
If you or a loved one is struggling, the video and the coverage in the July issue of the magazine offer resources for help. The video is embedded halfway down the page at www.ruralite.org/opioid.
Though the Rural Health Care Series is set to end in December, the coverage is too important to stop. The series will continue as an occasional one throughout 2020. So, keep your ideas coming. As in remote Alaska, it takes a village.
—Leon Espinoza, Editor