Rural Health in Northern California

Rural areas attract few hospitals or specialists, and transportation and weather conditions can add to difficulties in getting health care needs met for a population that has higher rates of poverty than cities. Join us as we take a road trip down Highway 299, and learn how medical professionals are working to bring quality care to this remote part of Northern California.

Sarah Varney

REACH Air Medical Services

Host Scott Shafer and health reporter Sarah Varney begin their road trip from the top of the Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, the hub of advanced medical care for many rural residents. Sarah Varney then speaks with Suzie Smith, a flight nurse, about her air ambulance work.

• Interactive Map: Photos and audio from Health Dialogues' road trip down State Route 299. Hear from people featured in the radio broadcast, plus many more.

Scott Shafer

Home Health Visits

Scott Shafer rides along with Registered Nurse Barbara Skinner, home health clinical manager at Trinity Hospital, as she travels from Weaverville to Hayfork, visiting patients along the way.

Sarah Varney

Youth on Round Mountain

Sarah Varney sits down with a group of adolescents at the Hill Country Health and Wellness Center on Round Mountain, to talk about teen health issues and life in a rural area.

Scott Shafer

Volunteer Firefighters

Scott Shafer pays a visit to the Trinity Center Volunteer Fire Department to talk with firefighters who serve as the first (and often only) line of defense against fires, injuries and emergency health problems. Guest: Brian Bogdanich, firefighter at the Coffee Creek Volunteer Fire Department. Guest: Ken Rieke, assistant fire chief of Trinity Center Fire Department. Guest: Roger Chatterton, chief of the Coffee Creek Volunteer Fire Department, and chief of the Trinity Center Volunteer Fire Department.

Sarah Varney

A Hospital At Risk

Residents in Modoc County, in northeastern California, will soon vote on a parcel tax in an effort to save their county hospital. The county is currently broke, and a fractious debate has erupted in this conservative, frontier community over the best way to fix the situation.

Scott Shafer

Mobile Medical Office

Scott Shafer heads next to Fortuna, CA, where he catches up with Dr. Wendy Ring and the staff of the Mobile Medical Office, a 44-foot RV that takes health care to the people.

Sarah Varney

Final Thoughts at the End of the Road

Scott Shafer and Sarah Varney reflect on their journeys as they talk to each other from opposite ends of State Route 299: Scott in Arcata, near Humboldt State University, and Sarah at the California/Nevada border, where SR299 ends.