This story is part of The Salt Lake Tribune’s ongoing commitment to identify solutions to Utah’s biggest challenges through the work of the Innovation Lab.
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For Kasey Shakespear and his family, getting health care means driving for long hours.
His son, Isaac, now a 2-year-old, was born without kidneys — a rare condition known as bilateral renal agenesis. Isaac spent the first 6½ months of life in intensive care at Lucile Packard Children’s Health at Stanford in Palo Alto, California — almost a 12-hour drive from Shakespear’s St. George home.
“We were in a tough spot because we couldn’t actually afford to live in Pasadena or Palo Alto long term,” Shakespear said. Southern Utah’s booming housing market, at the same time, meant that if they sold their home, they wouldn’t be able to buy again for at least a year.
The situation led to Shakespear commuting long distances while his …