CANYON COUNTY, Idaho — A new survey aims to bring permanent healthcare services to Parma, where many families currently rely on mobile clinics or must drive dozens of miles for basic medical care.
Terry Reilly Health Services partnered with the City of Parma and the school district to launch the survey with the hope that residents will share what kinds of services they need most. The initiative is funded by a grant from Health Resources and Services Administration.
"How do we know what a community needs unless we talk to the community?" said Claudia Weatherman from Terry Reilly. "By understanding their needs, then we'll know how we can serve them best."
WATCH |To learn why leaders say this survey could be the key to bringing permanent medical care—
For years, Parma residents have struggled with limited primary care options, no pediatric services, and only one dentist in town who doesn't accept Medicare. The community faces significant healthcare challenges.
"There's people with financial challenges or maybe language barriers. So, a very underserved community," Weatherman said.
School leaders say the healthcare need is evident in their annual assessments, where healthcare consistently ranks at the top of community needs.
"I feel like I've seen a lot more health-related issues that I feel like it really deters kids from coming to school," said Susan Rohrbacher from Parma Schools.
Families often cite long drives, lack of insurance, and limited appointment openings as barriers to accessing care.
"We are really far away from any healthcare providers," Rohrbacher said. "A lot of people just wanna have that feel and security of having just a local physician that they could go to."
The survey results will help determine whether Parma could see a permanent clinic, telehealth infrastructure, or even a pharmacy locker.
"I think that you can really see importance of things like this, especially in a small rural town, that one voice really can make all the difference in the world," Rohrbacher said.
The survey is anonymous and only takes a couple of minutes to complete.
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