MONTGOMERY-Governor Robert Bentley has proclaimed the week of November 16 through 20 as “Rural Health Week” in
Alabama. This recognition is to make Alabamians more aware of the vital importance of our rural areas
and the serious struggle that these areas have in getting and keeping adequate health care.
Many people make the mistake of thinking that since our rural areas have smaller populations, they are not
as important as more urban areas with larger numbers of people. This is far from the truth. Rural areas are
the providers of the vast majority of materials, resources, and necessities, such as food, that everyone must
have in order to survive. Having healthy and vibrant rural areas is important to everyone.
There is a very strong relationship between good health care and economic opportunity. An area without
good health care is not very competitive with other areas for economic opportunity and growth. Perhaps
the greatest evidence of this is the fact that 24 rural Alabama counties have smaller populations today than
they had over 100 years ago in 1910. In addition, 33 Alabama counties, all rural, are projected to have less
population in 2040 than they had in 2010. Too many young residents of rural areas are being forced to go
elsewhere to develop careers following college or technical training.
Rural health care does not only provide service for rural residents. We never know when we or someone
that we care very much for will be in a rural area and suddenly be in need of health care. The presence of
adequate local health care throughout Alabama provides faster access to care that can be of vital
importance.
| Rank | State | Life Expectancy, All (in years) |
Life Expectancy, African American (in years) |
Life Expectancy, Asian American (in years) |
Life Expectancy, Latino (in years) |
Life Expectancy, Native American (in years) |
Life Expectancy, White (in years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 81.3 | – | 82.0 | 76.8 | – | 80.4 |
| 2 | Minnesota | 81.1 | 79.7 | 83.5 | 87.3 | 70.2 | 81.2 |
| 3 | Connecticut | 80.8 | 77.8 | 89.1 | 83.1 | – | 81.0 |
| 4 | California | 80.8 | 75.1 | 86.3 | 83.2 | 80.2 | 79.8 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 80.5 | 78.8 | 89.1 | 87.1 | – | 80.4 |
| 6 | New York | 80.5 | 77.4 | 88.6 | 83.5 | – | 80.5 |
| 7 | Vermont | 80.5 | – | – | – | – | 80.4 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 80.3 | – | – | – | – | 80.1 |
| 9 | New Jersey | 80.3 | 75.5 | 89.4 | 84.7 | – | 80.3 |
| 10 | Utah | 80.2 | – | 84.6 | 82.1 | – | 80.1 |
| 11 | Colorado | 80.0 | 76.7 | 87.4 | 79.4 | – | 80.2 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | 80.0 | 74.0 | 86.4 | 86.0 | 72.5 | 80.3 |
| 13 | Washington | 79.9 | 77.5 | 85.4 | 85.4 | 73.8 | 79.7 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | 79.9 | – | – | – | – | 79.7 |
| 15 | Nebraska | 79.8 | 73.9 | – | 85.5 | – | 80.0 |
| 16 | Iowa | 79.7 | 75.3 | – | – | – | 79.8 |
| 17 | Arizona | 79.6 | 76.5 | 86.7 | 80.8 | 72.7 | 79.8 |
| 18 | North Dakota | 79.5 | – | – | – | – | 80.2 |
| 19 | Oregon | 79.5 | 77.2 | 86.2 | 85.4 | – | 79.2 |
| 20 | Idaho | 79.5 | – | – | 83.4 | – | 79.4 |
| 21 | South Dakota | 79.5 | – | – | – | 68.2 | 80.4 |
| 22 | Florida | 79.4 | 75.8 | 88.9 | 83.1 | – | 79.1 |
| 23 | Maine | 79.2 | – | – | – | – | 79.1 |
| 24 | Virginia | 79.0 | 75.3 | 87.2 | 88.3 | – | 79.4 |
| 25 | Illinois | 79.0 | 73.7 | 87.9 | 85.3 | – | 79.3 |
| 26 | Maryland | 78.8 | 75.5 | 88.2 | – | – | 79.4 |
| 27 | Kansas | 78.7 | 73.6 | – | 83.5 | – | 78.8 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | 78.5 | 73.4 | 89.0 | 85.3 | – | 78.9 |
| 29 | Montana | 78.5 | – | – | – | 69.2 | 79.1 |
| 30 | Texas | 78.5 | 74.4 | 88.1 | 80.7 | – | 78.0 |
| 31 | New Mexico | 78.4 | – | – | 78.8 | 74.8 | 79.0 |
| 32 | Delaware | 78.4 | 75.4 | – | – | – | 78.6 |
| 33 | Wyoming | 78.3 | – | – | – | – | 78.4 |
| 34 | Alaska | 78.3 | – | – | – | 70.5 | 79.4 |
| 35 | Michigan | 78.2 | 73.4 | 88.7 | 80.0 | 75.3 | 79.0 |
| 36 | Nevada | 78.1 | 75.9 | 88.1 | 84.7 | – | 76.7 |
| 37 | North Carolina | 77.8 | 74.7 | 88.9 | – | 76.6 | 78.3 |
| 38 | Ohio | 77.8 | 73.9 | 87.0 | 85.3 | – | 78.1 |
| 39 | Indiana | 77.6 | 73.8 | 88.1 | 85.9 | – | 77.7 |
| 40 | Missouri | 77.5 | 74.2 | – | – | – | 77.7 |
| 41 | Georgia | 77.2 | 74.7 | 88.0 | – | – | 77.6 |
| 42 | South Carolina | 77.0 | 74.0 | – | 83.2 | – | 77.8 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | 76.5 | 71.6 | – | – | – | 84.3 |
| 44 | Tennessee | 76.3 | 72.9 | 84.2 | – | – | 76.7 |
| 45 | Kentucky | 76.0 | 73.5 | – | – | – | 76.0 |
| 46 | Arkansas | 76.0 | 72.2 | – | – | – | 76.3 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | 75.9 | 72.8 | – | 85.0 | 73.8 | 76.0 |
| 48 | Louisiana | 75.7 | 72.4 | 85.6 | – | – | 76.7 |
| 49 | Alabama | 75.4 | 72.9 | 85.3 | – | – | 76.0 |
| 50 | West Virginia | 75.4 | 72.8 | – | – | – | 75.4 |
| 51 | Mississippi | 75.0 | 72.4 | – | – | – | 76.1 |
Additional indicators of the serious need for adequate rural health care include the following:
Alabama has the 3rd highest death rate among all 50 states and the rate is 11 percent higher for our rural
residents than urban Alabamians.
Life expectancy is three years less for Alabamians than for the nation – 3 ½ years less for rural Alabamians.
In 1980, 45 of the 54 rural counties in Alabama had hospitals that provided obstetrical service. Today only
17 of these 54 counties have such service available and this service is scheduled to be lost in Chambers
County at the end of this year. The loss of hospitals that deliver babies is greater in the 12 counties
comprising the Black Belt Region. In 1980, 10 of these 12 counties had hospitals providing obstetrical
service. Today only one county (Dallas) has this service available.
Only two rural counties (Coffee and Pike) are recognized by the federal government as providing the
minimal primary care service that is needed.
None of the 54 rural counties provide minimal dental service for low-income (Medicaid) patients.
None of the 54 rural counties provide minimal mental health service.
Thirteen rural Alabama counties do not have a dialysis clinic in the county.
The motor vehicle accident death rate for rural Alabamians is nearly 56 percent higher than that for our
urban residents and more than double the national rate.
Alabama is economically dependent upon its rural areas and our rural areas must have adequate health care
to meet this need. During this special week of recognition for rural health, express your support for
measures and policies that can strengthen rural health care in Alabama.
MEDIA RELEASE/ALABAMA RURAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION/Dale Quinney
