Another medical drawback of living in a mostly rural area is the time it takes to get critical care.
The best hospital can be a couple of hours away by car. And that situation explains how Mercy Flights came to be.
The country's first private non-profit air ambulance service started in Medford in 1949, and continues today.
It's more than surviving, it's thriving, too, as Mercy Flights added local ground ambulance service, too. CEO Doug Stewart drops by to talk about the ongoing mission of the company.