MUNISING, Mich. (WLUC) – Munising Memorial Hospital celebrated National Rural Health Day Thursday.
As a key health care provider serving the roughly 8,000 residents of Alger County, it’s a clinic you might depend on yourself. I-REACH Program Manager Jim Yates says the hospital also helps fill health care gaps for veterans.
“Being a rural health clinic in a rural setting, of course, they help fill that gap where there’s no VA services nearby,” Yates said. “They are part of the VA Community Care Network where they can get referrals from the VA and then provide that service to the veterans.”
But rural health clinics face challenges due to staffing, remoteness and recent changes to Medicare. Munising Memorial Hospital CEO Wendy Frush encourages you to let your elected officials know the importance of clinics like her own.
“Reach out to your local politician and let them know that you need health care in your community and that it’s not a luxury, it’s a right,” Frush said.
She says in spite of the challenges, the staff at Munising Memorial work hard every day to give their patients the care they deserve.
“The providers, the doctors, the lab technicians, the radiologists, they treat all of the patients that come here like their own family and for us, community is family,” Frush said. “We look forward to seeing you at Munising Memorial Hospital.”
Frush encourages you to recognize all rural health clinics for National Rural Health Day.
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