How easy is it to access emergency care in Ingham County? It depends on where you live

STOCKBRIDGE – Imagine this: You’re at home, your temperature spikes and you feel awful.

You know you should see a doctor, but the nearest urgent care or emergency room is more than 20 miles away. That’s only made worse if it’s raining or snowing and you need to navigate country roads.

For rural residents, the options are making that drive to an emergency department or calling an ambulance.

For Deborah Smith, a pastor at First Presbyterian Church Stockbridge, that’s a challenge many of her parishioners and members of her community face when it comes to seeking emergency care.

Without access to medical care closer to home, people wind up eschewing emergency or preventative care and just get sick or die, Smith said.

“I think there’s a health care need,” she said.

Despite the growth in Lansing’s medical infrastructure, residents living in Greater Lansing’s rural community face long distances and travel times to access emergency care. In Ingham County’s southeast corner, Stockbridge residents must travel an average of at least 35 miles or 39 minutes to reach an emergency room and more than 20 miles or 25 minutes for an urgent care center, according to a State Journal analysis.

Virginia Rezmierski, a retired University of Michigan professor and community volunteer, said rural areas are like an “orphan” when it comes to medical services yet Stockbridge and the surrounding townships are home to thousands of people.

“(Services) don’t extend to the rural tip,” she said.

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Here’s how far and how long it could take to reach emergency departments from Ingham County’s rural southeast corner:

• Dansville: An average of 28 minutes or 22 miles from a hospital emergency room. Roughly 10 minutes or 7 miles from the nearest urgent care.
• Leslie: An average of 25 minutes or 24 miles for a hospital emergency room. Roughly 12 minutes or 9 miles from the nearest urgent care center.
• Webberville: An average of 25 minutes or 22 miles from a hospital emergency room. Roughly 19 minutes or 13 miles from the nearest urgent care.
• Williamston: An average of 23 minutes or 18 miles from the nearest hospital emergency room. Roughly 12 minutes or 8 miles from the nearest urgent care.

Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail said Ingham County’s most significant health disparities are in the urban core, where the population is lower income, older and include communities of color. That’s where Ingham County sees its worst health outcomes, she said.

“That’s not to diminish that they do have limited access to resources further out in the county,” Vail said.

The Stockbridge area, which includes towns in Livingston and Washtenaw counties, was recently listed by the Health Resources and Services Administration as a medically underserved area. Three geographic areas around Lansing received that same designation in 1994.

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Health care and community organizations have a mandate to serve everyone, not just urban populations, Rezmierski said. If groups can collaborate, it could be possible to fill service gaps, she said.

The Five Healthy Towns Foundation aims to start that coalition, building partnerships to address health and wellness needs for people in the Stockbridge area as well as those in the rural parts of Livingston and Washtenaw counties, Rezmierski said.

“We’re pretty excited about the possibilities,” she said.

Sustainability key to attract, retain providers

Stockbridge did have a health clinic, but it closed because so few people went there, Rezmierski said.

The primary barrier to attracting health clinics, grocery stores and transportation services is the isolation of the area, Smith said. Having those services available  contribute to a person’s overall wellness, she said.

“We are such a desert for so many different elements of health,” Smith said.

The demand for services exists around Stockbridge, Rezmierski said. A survey conducted by Five Healthy Towns found 57% of respondents would use a local health clinic if one was available and 86% would consider transferring service to a practice closer to home.

Rezmierski said many people need laboratory tests and annual examinations and would like to see those services nearby.

As a society, businesses and groups tend to focus on urban populations because it’s easier to make their profit margins, Smith said.

“They’ve got to stay viable,” she said.

Stockbridge mobilizing to fill area’s care gap

The coalition envisions a school-based federally qualified health center that can serve both residents and students. Rezmierski said services could include primary care services, laboratory services, preventative medicine and a hub for telehealth.

That process is in its early stages as the group is still putting together a proposal and seeking grant funding to move the project forward, Rezmierski said.

“This is a coming together of the grassroots of the community,” she said.

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The success of a clinic, if one is created, relies on people feeling comfortable that it will offer quality, professional care that meets their needs, Rezmierski said.

Rezmierski said people in rural areas can be reluctant to access services. The lack of density and transportation makes it difficult for organizations or businesses to meet residents’ needs, she said.

“They need the services but they are hesitant to get involved,” she said. “There’s some real barriers that we need to overcome in the rural population.”

Contact reporter Craig Lyons at 517-377-1047 or calyons@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @craigalyons.