Hope for a Healthier Tomorrow

“When you have a health condition, you always think different, because it can be your last minute, your last day. . . always have something good to say 'thank you' to the Lord. . . So you have to enjoy today."

"My life was profoundly changed in 2017 when my 17-year-old son, Jake, was murdered. And that’s when I also recognized how our communities were not doing enough to address trauma people experience."

"I’ve been at a point in my life where I felt like I didn’t have anybody taking care of me, and I had to take care of myself. That’s what made me learn to take care of others."

"These guys have walked me along the path that it’s okay to ask for help and it’s okay to need help, you know, but I love that they want you to earn it, because it gives you a sense of pride and self worth."

"Equity work is going to require a huge shift of dynamics and take quite a while before it becomes the status quo. It’s hard work. And sometimes it’s less gratifying because you don’t see the benefits as quickly."

"Even if I don’t know, I try to ask. Even if I don’t speak English, I keep asking. . . I try my best to survive here . . .

I need to try everything so I can learn. I love this community. They help me a lot. They are good people."

“I take care of my family and nobody takes care of me.

It sucks. But what are you gonna do? With my husband’s health issues and having four kids, I don’t have the choice to not be okay."

"No matter if you're from a rural or an urban area, or an improverished or a wealthy area, we all have medical needs . . . These are all human issues, as opposed to issues based on where you are in the world."

"There are a lot of areas that our organization alone just can’t reach, and so we rely on partnerships to build bridges with those communities, and develop trust and support with that population."

"In Branson there are a lot of people who would love to go to the doctor. They would love to have resources. They would love to cook their families healthy meals . . . and it’s just not an option."

"This is my 37th year in public health, and I've been a health director for 32 of those . . . It’s a completely different world from when I started. But that’s how it happened, and I wouldn’t change it one bit.”

"We are about the restoration of dignity in a person’s life, and that begins with valuing that person and recognizing what success is, and it’s not some arbitrary standard for everyone."

"Early on in the pandemic, everything was shutting down . . . it brought all of our simmering problems absolutely to the top almost immediately and in almost an overwhelming way for us and for our community."

"Before you pass judgment, before you form an opinion, just walk a mile in the shoes of a healthcare provider . . . Just walk a mile. Because we’re all having to do things we never dreamed we would be doing."

"I wasn’t planning on going into public health, but I really believe God had this plan for me . . . He knew my heart, that I love my community and the people in it, and that I wanted to be helpful in some way."

“Rural communities are held to the same standards with fewer resources . . . So there are challenges, but we’re not afraid to work hard. We’re just tired and we’re trying to do the best we can.”

"I’m dealing with people who are very scared. And I realize I’m the one offering them some hope or peace. I think realizing that in itself just helps me to be emotionally okay.” 

"Public health is about creating entire healthy environments, so we’re not looking at just an individual – like a doctor treating an individual – we are actually treating entire populations . . . for generations to come."

"The idea behind rural health clinics is to close the gap in reimbursements between rural Missouri and the more desirable places to practice, and that makes it possible for doctors to be here."

"If you don’t have these partnerships and these different agencies that these people can get into right away, they have no hope . . . typically they wait until they just can’t stand it any longer before they ask for help."

"We’re going above and beyond trying to protect our individuals to keep them out of harm's way. But it’s not a guarantee. We knew COVID would be devastating for a lot of our individuals." 

"I feel like public health is the travel agent of health care. So people come to us, and we see what their needs are, and we try and find where we need to send them to solve those health issues that they have."

"This job is rewarding. I meet a lot of people. I get to know them . . . Some of these older folks, you’re providing a service for and they appreciate you so much because they have no one else." 

"What a travesty to think that people who all their lives have worked hard, played by the rules, lived the American dream, sent kids off to the military, don’t believe they deserve good health care . . . "

"When we started using transportation, it just depended on what company it was. Now, if they were from around here – not a problem. If they had to come in from another county or whatever – they wouldn’t do it."

"Every patient deserves health care and they deserve the best health care that they can get in their area . . . 

we have patients who cannot afford the gas money to go somewhere or they don’t have the vehicle . . . "

"A patient said, 'Dr. Jon, you travel all over the world and you help people. Why don't you do that for the people right here? They need it.' And I said, 'Wow. That's pretty heavy.' I didn't have an answer for him."

"We’ve seen people there that have not seen a doctor in over 10 years, so we’ve ended up treating a lot of people for chronic illnesses . . . and it’s a good feeling, knowing that we’re helping them."