Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health Hosts Forum On Health In Huron County

by Bob Montgomery

The Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health presented a live launch of this year's Lecture Series at the Huron County Museum on Tuesday.

Gateway hosts a series of virtual lectures each month but President Gwen Devereaux says they wanted to launch the season with an in-person presentation. Devereaux shares part of the discussion is around the differences between healthcare in urban and rural communities. She says that difference has always been there, both in funding and issues around health care.

Devereaux points to the fact that rural communities tend to have higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and an aging population that is more evident in rural communities. The mission for the Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health is to look at the relevant rural health issues and develop strategies that will support them to help people remain healthier and in their homes longer.

Devereaux points out the news isn't all doom and gloom. We do live longer and we live better and in urban and rural communities we are diagnosing better. We do have greater rates of cancer but we are being diagnosed earlier and we're being treated and we're recovering. While it looks like our rates are going up, we've got the healthcare system in place, luckily, in Canada where it doesn't cost you money to be diagnosed and treated. We're very fortunate in our region to have wonderful hospitals and wonderful healthcare teams.