What Inspires Andrew Whitney?
Small town living has always brought me comfort. I'm one generation removed from farming. My Mom grew up on a dairy farm in northern Wisconsin, and I still tie the passage of time in my mind to the cycle of planting and harvest. When we moved to Nebraska, we bought a house on what was the edge of town. It’s not the edge of town anymore, and I miss that. There is something about living near corn and soybean fields that is grounding.
My family and I also have an affinity for technology. My dad was in data processing, the 1970’s equivalent of IT. He would bring a terminal home sometimes and play "computer games" on it. He used the dial-up to his university mainframe and then jumped to other university mainframes around the country. The internet before it was the internet. My grandfather on my dad’s side was an IBM electric typewriter repairman, and my brother was working in Geneva, Switzerland when Tim Berners-Lee was developing the World Wide Web. So technology comes naturally to me.
Living in Nebraska and spending lots of time on the farm in Wisconsin, I’ve seen the challenges of small-town and rural life. Healthcare is hard to access when the closest Walmart is 100 miles away and the hospital even further. Specialty care is almost nonexistent. That’s an issue if you have a medical emergency or need continuous specialist treatment.
When my grandfather, my mom’s father, was in his late 50’s, he was told by rural providers that he had lung cancer and was going to die. He sold off all the cows and prepared for the end. After a 500-mile round trip to see a specialist, though, it turned out he was fine. He lived to be 80 years old.
Hospitals are the key to healthy rural communities and residents. Not just to provide care, but to help drive the local economy. They are often the largest employer in rural towns, yet resources are still limited.
Technology is advanced enough now to help rural healthcare facilities fill in the gaps and provide comprehensive care. For the last six years, I have seen what a difference telemedicine can make. It's gratifying to see how keeping more patients in local hospitals help the bottom line and create better patient outcomes. Patients can see a specialist via telemedicine instead of driving for hours, and I always enjoy hearing all the positive feedback. Rural healthcare builds strong communities and offers hope to rural residents. Telemedicine makes it all possible.
