GRAND FORKS — “North Dakota’s rural health system is under growing strain,” according to the state Department of Health and Human Services website.
“Workforce shortages, financially fragile facilities, widening outcome gaps for tribal and frontier communities and fragmented technology threaten access to care close to home. Plus, people in rural areas often experience higher rates of chronic diseases.”
The Rural Health Transformation Program in North Dakota is meant to
stabilize the rural health care system,
“build a more sustainable, modern rural health future and prevent diabetes, heart disease and stroke and other chronic diseases,” the website states.
The program is supported by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is also referred to as CMS.
These funds are meant to be used to address some of the problems that inhibit overall optimal health in this state, namely that:
- More than 1 in 3 adults are obese, a major risk for heart disease, diabetes and chronic conditions.
- More than 1 in 3 adults have high blood pressure.
- Nearly 18% of high school students have considered attempting suicide.
- More than 1 in 4 adults report no physical activity in the past month.
Nationwide, indicators of health status are just as concerning:
- More than 1 million people die each year from cardiovascular disease and diabetes — conditions largely linked to preventable risk factors.
- Never smoking, physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight and healthy diet appear to lower the risk of developing major chronic diseases by about 80%.
- Strong social connections are associated with up to a 30% lower risk of major cardiovascular diseases.
