Woman drives four hours to lead rural county’s medical clinic

Nurse practitioner Sally Messick makes a four-hour drive from her home every week to provide healthcare to rural residents in Engelhard, NC. Engelhard Medical Center operates from an 1,800-square-foot double-wide trailer, and is one of 30 rural health centers that operates with help from the NC Office of Rural Health and Community Care. Messick officially sees patients on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and on Friday mornings, but unofficially will help no matter the hour, she says.