Baystate Franklin Medical Center’s newest doctors were introduced to Franklin County on Friday through a tour of some not-so-hidden gems in the local health care system.

The five new family medicine residents who arrived last month to learn how to be doctors in rural communities joined the Franklin Regional Council of Governments for a day to learn about the challenges Franklin County faces with food insecurity and an aging population, as well as the benefits of living and working here.

“The FRCOG organizes this annual bus tour for the new family medicine residents to do a few things at once: first, show the doctors what life looks like in our rural area and how our region works; second, connect them to people and organizations who help their patients and other residents; and third, give them good ideas about fun things to do while they are living here,” said FRCOG’s Director of Community Health Phoebe Walker.

“This has been the most incredibly rewarding place to work and live,” Sheila Litchfield, a retired public health nurse who now manages the Good Neighbors Food Pantry in Charlemont, told the family medicine residents. “I worked in Rowe, a town with 300 people, as the public health nurse for about 10 years, and you would think that being in a one-nurse facility with such a small population might be boring. I have to tell you, it was extremely exciting.

“It was never a dull moment,” Litchfield continued. “With a patient case load of 0 to 100, you never knew what was going to come in.”

Litchfield mentioned that, with health care not being as easily accessible in the rural hilltowns as it is in cities, residents tend to rely on their own first aid knowledge and seek assistance from their neighbors as needed.

Good Neighbors Food Pantry, located at the Charlemont Federated Church on Route 2, has been providing food assistance to residents for 32 years, Litchfield said. The pantry is one of just a few serving western Franklin County.

“There is nothing else really around for food services,” Litchfield said. “We’re it in this little neck of the woods.”

When asked by the family medicine residents what demand has been like, Litchfield said the number of families coming to the food pantry tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has since dropped to about 60 per month. Litchfield noted she has seen people coming from neighboring counties for food.

Litchfield said the Good Neighbors Food Pantry is supported by the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and partners with other pantries in the area to share resources. While federal U.S. Department of Agriculture funding is uncertain for the future, Litchfield said the pantry’s biggest need is for volunteers.

In Leyden, a town with a population of just over 700 residents, one-quarter of whom are over the age of 65, town officials say one of the biggest challenges is addressing the needs of its aging population with a limited budget.

“We have no services in town — no gas stations, no grocery stores, no cafes, no post office, no school,” Leyden Selectboard Chair Katherine DiMatteo said. “There’s not a whole lot of the next generation in town.”

DiMatteo said most of the land in town is agricultural, and there is not much space to build new homes to bring in more residents and create a larger tax base. The passage of an accessory dwelling unit bylaw last week will hopefully alleviate some housing stock challenges, but the town will still be operating with a budget for a small population and needs to carefully consider which projects to prioritize.

She added that residents have been proactive and “responded well” to initiatives to make the town “aging friendly,” such as installing an accessible path down to the town’s recreation area, so people with walkers, wheelchairs and other mobility issues can still access the pickleball court. This allows the town’s seniors to stay active and engaged in their community.

Despite the health care challenges in the county, speakers on the bus tour said Franklin County is a wonderful place to live.

DiMatteo said Leyden’s Recreation Committee, Cultural Council, Historical Commission, library, and other committees and organizations have been working to replace the events and sense of community that was provided by having an elementary school in town. Pearl Rhodes Elementary School closed in 2019 due to financial challenges and declining enrollment, and the building is now used as the Town Offices.

In September, the Robertson Memorial Library and Recreation Committee will host a “Heart of Leyden” 5K.

Litchfield said there is so much to do across the region, with numerous outdoor recreation options, plenty of events, and ways for community members to get involved and give back to the community.

“This is really an area where it’s very easy to feel the connection,” Litchfield said.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.