Those of us who have driven through towns in the northern part of the United States may be struck by Danielsville’s northernesque feel. You enter the town through a roundabout, reminiscent of the many rotaries I learned to drive growing up in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In the center of the roundabout sits the historic red brick courthouse, built in 1901.
Beyond the courthouse there’s the Huddle House. Then there’s the Rite Aid in addition the local pharmacy. There’s the Hardy’s and the Subway. And of course there’s the Chinese Buffet. There is even a stoplight (at this point I have only seen one)! Danielsville doesn’t feel rural.
The definition of rural varies, but most statistical definitions are based on population and population density. See What is Rural? published by the USDA. And by definition, Madison County is rural.
The appearance of rural or not, Madison County is still confronted with rural health issues. In the wake of the peanut product scare, Leigh Ann Aaron, a county extension agent for Madison County, tells how one thing that rural counties often struggle with is disseminating information. One time she called one person, she said, and received nine calls back. The individual had shared her number with other concerned community members. Word of mouth, local connections, being plugged into the community, are major pathways in the Madison County information network.
Though the town may not appear rural (at least to me), spreading pertinent health information is certainly still an issue.
All Ebola, all the time
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Liberian journalist Wade C. L. Williams interviewing in the field.
That’s how HMJ’12 graduate Laura Smith described her health communications
work at the ...
I say if there are more churches than fast food restaurants, it's rural. That's always been my personal gauge.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that 1 outgoing calls could yield 9 returns. Clearly there's a functioning communication network -- whether it could disseminate life-saving info fast enough if there's a toxic railcar spill or nuke plant meltdown is another question.
ReplyDeleteI have long thought that when it comes to crisis communication, the groups most likely not to get emergency bulletins are ethnic and rural communities. Could be a story idea in here somewhere.
Have you asked anyone about access to health info online -- either directly or through a friend or relative?
What do you mean by Danielsville's "Northernesque" feel? Is it kind of like a small town, with a picaresque downtown surrounded by verdant fields and classic architecture?
ReplyDeleteYou're comment on 1 phone call getting 9 returns has my interest piqued. I'm wondering if this is a network made up of those who have been locals for many years and many generations now, and who gets left out in this network. Do new residents suffer a lack of information until they are brought into the network? Are there certain groups with the community that happen to be excluded from the network?
The way you describe reminds me of the "good ole boy" network that seems to be a stereotypical feature of rural southern communities, which is in and of itself a complicated term to introduce into this conversation.
Have you heard about the water wars going on out there? Between the drought and the ancient water works there have been some serious problems in the past few years.
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