Auburn Family Health Center wasted no time filling the position left by Dr. Jeff Meade following his retirement. Their new hire, Dr. Madhav Narayan, started September 1, but his work for small communities began long before then.
Having grown up in Broomfield, Colorado, Dr. Narayan stayed local for his higher education, attending Colorado University for his Bachelor’s Degree, his medical school and residency. During his studies, he completed a rural training track where he learned more about the specialized care that rural providers give, with emphasis on areas like intensive care unit and critical care. Following his completion of residency, Dr. Narayan took a job at Jefferson Community Health and Life Clinic in Fairbury. He worked there for a time, and while he did, he made a point to figure out what plagued Nebraskans.
Dr. Narayan visited communities in all 93 counties in Nebraska, Auburn included, speaking with shop owners, service providers, and anyone else he could find, to ask about that community’s current struggles. Two of the major issues he found were a lack of childcare facilities and a lack of affordable housing. These problems weren’t just in a few communities, but statewide, in big cities and small towns alike. Dr. Narayan explained that, without one or both of these, communities are crippled. Those with children who want to work cannot, and those who would otherwise move to the community to live and work can’t find a home. In both cases, the community’s economy suffers.
