It’s a misty October Wednesday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which is not uncommon for the season and, for most residents, is not particularly noteworthy. But on Wednesdays, Dr. Michael McNamara doesn’t drive to work—he flies.
So today, the fog is an issue.
McNamara is a maternal-fetal medicine physician at Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, spanning the Upper Midwest. He manages high-risk pregnancies, requiring frequent physical exams and ultrasounds to ensure the health of both mother and child. Some of McNamara’s patients live in Sioux Falls, where both he and Sanford are headquartered. Others live in some of the most remote stretches of the country—on farmland, military bases and Native American reservations—and would have to travel between four and six hours to visit him in the city…