Rural healthcare beyond the hospital
Mon, July 20, 2026 at 11:00 PM
UpdatedMon, July 20, 2026 at 11:23 PM
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Beacon Allegan Hospital in Allegan, Michigan. Healthcare leaders say they’re working to recruit providers and expand services to improve access to care in rural communities.
ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. —Lyla Whitney-Baier went to Beacon Allegan Hospital expecting treatment for low hemoglobin
Instead, doctors told her she likely had leukemia
She was transferred to Grand Rapids, where she spent about a month in the hospital
“It was more like finally getting those answers,” Whitney-Baier said. “I had been to the doctor before, and they couldn’t give me a diagnosis.”
Now, her treatment is measured in miles
Some weeks, she makes the drive from Allegan County to Grand Rapids four or five times for lab work, infusions and follow-up appointments
“I’ve been to the doctor in Grand Rapids so many times with labs and just, you know, infusions,” she said. “That’s 40 minutes one way, maybe to an hour, and then 40 minutes back.”
Whitney-Baier’s experience is one of many stories News Channel 3 heard while reporting on rural healthcare in Allegan County
Healthcare leaders say those shortages can make it harder to recruit providers and expand services, particularly in rural communities
The challenge doesn’t end with one diagnosis
Lissa Merchan has lived in Allegan County since 2002
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Her son sees a dentist in Holland. Her daughter travels to specialists in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. She drives to Portage for immunotherapy appointments
“You just know that you’re going to be paying a lot of money in gas and doing a lot of travel time,” Merchan said
The appointments themselves often take only a fraction of the day
Getting there is what turns them into half-day commitments
“If your kids have special needs or have extra things they need to see a doctor for, it’s not going to be an hour or two at the doctor,” Merchan said. “It’s going to be half a day.”
Whitney-Baier said she’s fortunate to have friends and family willing to help
“I rely on my friends and my family to help get me there,” she said. “Their schedules kind of dictate how I’ll get there. I’m very grateful for them.”
Still, she knows not everyone has that support
“It feels like a burden sometimes,” she said. “It feels inconvenient for everybody.”
Aimee Heckman has spent 40 years working in healthcare
She owns a medical billing company that helps independent physicians stay in practice and recently became executive director of Renewed Hope Health Clinic, a nonprofit clinic that serves uninsured and underinsured residents in Allegan County
She said having health insurance doesn’t always mean patients can afford to use it
“The Affordable Care Act gave people access to health insurance,” Heckman said. “That doesn’t necessarily get you access to healthcare.”
High deductibles and larger copays leave many patients paying thousands of dollars before insurance begins covering costs, she said
Specialty care presents another hurdle
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“If you’re gonna have any kind of a specialist referral, there are a few that’ll come to town maybe one day a week,” Heckman said. “If that day doesn’t work for you, then you’ve got to go to Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo or Holland.”
Heckman has watched another change over the years
Doctors who once lived in the communities they served have become less common as healthcare systems have grown
“I grew up literally with doctors from the community coming over to our house,” she said. “They were part of the community.”
She said telehealth has helped ease some of the pressure, allowing patients to follow up with specialists without making every trip in person
Mental healthcare faces many of the same challenges
Mark Witte, CEO of OnPoint, said recruiting providers and maintaining a workforce remain ongoing concerns in rural communities
“The big ones that we usually think about are the availability of providers that are local,” Witte said
Many employees commute from Holland, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo before spending the day traveling throughout Allegan County to meet patients
Rather than expecting patients to navigate another barrier, Witte said OnPoint changed how people enter care
“It became clear to us that part of the reason people weren’t able to get their behavioral health needs met was because it was too hard to get here,” Witte said. “Sometimes lives are very chaotic and complicated.”
The organization added walk-in behavioral health appointments, expanded telehealth services and works with Allegan County Transportation to help residents get to appointments
Beacon Allegan Hospital is also working to keep more care local
The hospital recently marked its first year under Beacon Health System
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Hospital President Greg Piper said the focus has been recruiting providers, investing in technology and expanding services based on community needs
“Our ultimate goal here is to provide services and continue to provide services to Beacon Allegan and to the community,” Piper said
Some patients will still need treatment outside Allegan County, he said
The goal is making sure they can return home for as much of their care as possible
“Healthcare close to home shouldn’t be a privilege,” Piper said. “It should be core to what a community is.”
Heckman said that’s the work happening across Allegan County
Renewed Hope provides free care for uninsured and underinsured patients. OnPoint has expanded behavioral health services. Beacon continues adding providers and services
“It’s not all bad,” Heckman said. “There are people that are trying to figure out how we can solve the problem and make sure we have a healthier population.”
