Will the rural healthcare system be a victim of COVID-19?
Will the rural healthcare system be a victim of COVID-19? Former President and CEO of Upper Peninsula Health Plan Dennis Smith discusses this in his post today on Rural Insights.
Read MoreMy COVID-19 near-death experience
My name is Bill Vajda, and I am a COVID-19 survivor. My story is a race against time – not unlike the challenges that face leadership at all levels of government across the globe. At the onset, I was fine one day, and almost completely debilitated the next. While teleworking from home, the virus attacked with the speed of a light switch. Overnight, I went from normal temperatures to fevers of 102+ degrees. I lost control of my ability to regulate heat; I endured excruciating headaches – the worst of my life. My mind was slipping into delirium from the… Read More »
Read MoreCovid-19 in rural Michigan/America
The following was originally published on Education Views on April 6, 2020, and is republished here with permission. The focus of the coronavirus has been largely concentrated in densely-populated urban areas around the world where humans live closely together. Here in the U.S. New York City, Seattle, New Orleans, and Detroit are extremely vulnerable hot spots as of this writing. Global communities with mobile, aging populations. Poverty makes these citizens especially vulnerable to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. We are hoping to hit the apex – a turning point – when the virus flattens and we begin to bend the curve… Read More »
Read MoreMichigan needs a Rural Policy Director
Michigan’s official state motto is: “Si Quæris Peninsulam Amœnam Circumspice,” or, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” Michigan is a large state composed of great and struggling cities, sprawling suburbs and our often-forgotten rural communities. We are asking our new governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who visited all 83 counties during her campaign, to show rural Michigan some special love and appoint a senior-level cabinet member to be her advisor on rural policy. This person would report directly to the governor and would work with all state departments and agencies. The director also would meet with community leaders, serving… Read More »
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