Minnesota lawmakers weigh funding to address rural cancer care disparity

A pilot undertaking that aims to address a shortage of cancer care in rural Minnesota would receive funding under regulation being considered at the state Capitol The rural cancer gap describes a trend in preventable deaths from cancer being higher in rural areas than in urban communities Though death rates for cancer are falling overall rates are falling more rapidly in urban areas than rural communities according to the Rural Cancer Institute Doctors say rural Minnesotans are experiencing healthcare care access discrepancies reflected across rural America with long waiting times and drives to see specialists who are often hard to find And rural Americans experience higher cancer death rates than their urban counterparts despite having fewer new cancer cases according to a description from the Centers for Condition Control and Prevention The bill would allocate over fiscal years - from the state s workforce enhancement fund to the Rural Cancer Institute to launch a pilot plan aimed at exposing healthcare students to oncology care in rural Minnesota Dr Wade Swenson of Lakewood Strength System in Staples a biological oncologist with years of experience in rural Minnesota disclosed the project would be a life-saving necessity The need is urgent Swenson declared We at the moment lack threshold in this state to effectively care for our rural patients with cancer The initiative would be modeled after the Rural Physician Associate Effort which places healthcare students in rural communities The Rural Cancer Institute s plan would adapt the approach to cancer care giving healthcare students residents and fellows experience in rural oncology practice by placing them in clinics and providing housing backing according to Swenson Swenson declared he hopes if the initiative is funded it will encourage physiological students to live and practice in rural communities after graduation It s really about exposure and changing the narrative about how cancer care is delivered in communities and rural practices Swenson explained Swenson declared expanding rural oncology facility providers would not only improve rural communities access to robustness care but also strengthen their economies by retaining wellness care dollars locally Rural oncologists bring about million in downstream revenue to their surrounding communities on average supporting five to eight wellness care-related jobs according to Swenson Sen Rich Draheim R-Madison Lake the primary author of the bill revealed he has personally seen physiological personnel shortages affect his rural hometown including hospital closures clinic consolidations and long wait times Here we re helping the rural communities We re helping train doctors that will save lives Draheim mentioned Just think if it was your loved one your husband your wife your kids that had to get cancer care Would you want to drive two or three hours each way The act was heard April and laid over for feasible inclusion in an omnibus bill by the Senate Jobs and Economic Expansion committee This article originally appeared at KAXE org Record for Minnesota is a project of the University of Minnesota s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication to promotion local news in all areas of the state The post Minnesota lawmakers weigh funding to address rural cancer care disparity appeared first on MinnPost