Humans of the Redwoods - Michael Curl

Michael of Mendocino Encourages More Nursing Programs to Create Extensive and Affordable Healthcare

After being diagnosed with carpal tunnel at 19, Ukiah local Michael Curl has had some experience with the nuances of workplace accessibility and obtaining specialty care in a rural community. Lack of reliable public transport cut him off socially as a kid and has failed him during carpal tunnel flare-ups. He hopes for a more accessible future with reliable care and transportation for the community’s special needs.

Remote Living

Michael Curl grew up around Mendocino’s isolated Round Valley and Potter Valley areas. Despite his rural roots, he has traveled the world teaching for AmeriCorps, giving him a broad view of different ways of life. Growing up was a different story. With transportation being a significant issue, he was cut off from the social lives of his peers during his most developmental years. “The main thing that set me apart from other folks was just my long commute coming into town, and I was always pretty out of it compared to everybody else. I never knew any of the gossip or anything else. I think that had a pretty big effect on how I grew up.”

Living 40 minutes outside of Ukiah without a car and unreliable phone and internet coverage made it harder for him to stay involved. “I was basically just stuck out there. All my friends' social lives would occur at night time. But then as soon as school ended, I was just out there with the cows. Which, you know, I like them. But we didn't commune. We weren't super simpatico. So I was mostly just alone with my thoughts a lot of the time.”

Michael Curl standing in front of a tree

“When I'm having a flare-up, I'm just going to have to wait until someone can get home because I can't even be on my phone.”

Accessible Transportation

Michael’s experience navigating transportation is not unique in the Redwood Region. While it can be a significant barrier to a fulfilling social life, it can also be a serious issue for people with disabilities. Michael has been living with severe carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition where the median nerve is compressed in the wrist causing numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hand, for 17 years. While assistive technology helps Michael use his phone and computer, a flare-up can make it nearly impossible to navigate tasks that able-bodies take for granted, like opening doors within a house.

“If you can't use your hands and there's a problem, it's like, ‘oh, why don't you go drive to some place where you can get help?’. During a flare-up I requested an Uber and it said I had to wait an hour, and then it said there are none available. I tried to call a taxi. I was just trying to go from my mom's house to my house, which is a 12 minute drive, and they were going to charge me $90. So I'm just like, okay, I'm going to wait here all day until someone can get home because I can't even be on my phone.”

“I haven't gotten too much support from services in the area. I’ve mostly learned on my own, and through my mom who walked the path before me.”

Navigating Workplace Accessibility

Michael’s previous job at a welfare office required him to use a computer, prompting him to pay out-of-pocket on ergonomic mouses and keyboards to avoid flare-ups. His employer eventually reimbursed, albeit after several months. He spent the year at the welfare office in a cycle of pain and recovering until he saved up enough money for his two surgeries.

Finding Reliable Care

Michael’s genetic carpal tunnel means the older generations in his family have been navigating care in the area so he was able to avoid the trial and error. Specialized care in Mendocino is scarce and Michael has had to wait long periods to get the services he’s needed.

“My mom told me to not go to this one doctor because she went there and they ruined her hand. A lot of the time, the only solution for good health care is to leave the county completely and go someplace else. God forbid you get on workman's compensation. There's literally one doctor in the region you can see, and that's it.”

“They did give me everything I needed, but sometimes I had to wait a very long time to get it.”

“I think the local schools need to provide nursing programs so people can go into healthcare themselves, offering some competition so that everything is not just as ridiculously priced as it is.”

Expanding Healthcare Opportunities

Healthcare and transportation go hand-in-hand, with many rural communities having limited access to either. Michael’s vision for the future includes expanding public transportation and healthcare opportunities by utilizing our region’s rich educational resources.

“I think the local schools need to provide nursing programs so people can go into healthcare themselves, offering some competition so that everything is not as ridiculously priced as it is.”

Specialized Needs

His experience navigating healthcare with a disability has been hit or miss. For the many disabled folks in the Redwood Region their experiences vary drastically, making it difficult to address the specialized needs of the community. He wishes for an expansion in local healthcare so no one is without the accesible care that they need.

“I think the main problem with different disabilities is that everyone has a different journey, because everyone has different pains.”