The Geography of Survival: My Fight with Cancer and the Road to Change | Zachary Schroeder | TEDxKU

Rural Healthcare Challenges - Rural cancer patients face later diagnoses, increased uninsurance/underinsurance, and worse outcomes due to their location [8] - The "rural cancer gap" shows widening mortality rate disparities between rural and urban areas since 1999 [8] - Nearly 20% of Americans live in rural areas, but only 3% of oncologists practice there [9] - Kansas rural provider to patient ratio exceeds 500 to 1, compared to urban areas closer to 80 to 1 [12] - 140 hospitals have closed in the past 10 years, with a projection of 600 more at imminent risk [13] - Cancer care accounts for 30-40% of hospital revenue nationwide, but is increasingly diverted to urban centers [13][14] - Hospitals are closing at a rate of two per month [15] - Only 2% of clinical trials are offered in rural areas, creating "clinical trial deserts" [15] Proposed Solutions - Expand Medicaid, support rural providers with loan forgiveness and flexible training, and decentralize clinical trials via mobile units and telemedicine [17] - Change the narrative around rural cancer patients and value them [18] - Implement technology innovation, such as hub and spoke models and empowering community navigators with technology [19] - The rural oncology home model partners patients with local providers and leverages telehealth to access specialized oncologists [20]