Episodes

Who should be vaccinated against HPV and why? Riguey King from the American Cancer Society joined the Rural Health Voice to discuss the benefits of HPV prevention. Resources: National HPV Roundtable Call: 1-800-227-2345 If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, join the VRHA leadership at the National Rural Health Association’s Policy Institute. This is your chance to meet with rural health leaders from across the nation and talk directly with members of Congress and thei...

Why should rural people get involved in national advocacy? National Rural Health Association President John Gale joined the Rural Health Voice to discuss his views on the future of rural health. If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, make sure you check out our social media accounts. Visit our website at VRHA.org and click the Facebook and Twitter logos on the top right of the page.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of being a Travel Nurse? Destiny Davidson joined RHV to discuss the path of her nursing career and advocate for incentives to encourage providers to consider rural communities. If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, make sure you check out our social media accounts. Visit our website at VRHA.org and our Facebook and Twitter feeds.

What’s the role of churches in rural communities when it comes to caring for health? Pastor Allen Jessee of Highlands Fellowship Church joined the Rural Health Voice to discuss faith and health. If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, join the Rural Health Voice conference. It started November 2nd, but all of the plenary sessions are being recorded and saved on the website for review.

Our guest lives and works in rural Virginia, and is a nurse. However, we are withholding her name due to her concern of retaliation from her employer for sharing her job experience. If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, make sure you register for the Rural Health Voice annual conference. There will be a wide variety of both plenary sessions and interactive discussion at our virtual event.

Why is it important for rural healthcare providers to consider the specific needs of their LGBTQ patients? AnhThu Nguyen joined me to discuss the important work of Staunton Pride, the Shenandoah LGBTQ Center and the needs for inclusivity. If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, join the Virginia Rural Health Association for our annual Rural Health Voice conference. Our 2021 event will be virtual, with plenary speakers, interactive discussions, and student presentations th...

What’s a great way to make sure people in your community get access to all the services they need? Laura Thompson, Community Engagement Manager from Unite Virginia joined me to discuss their new service and how you can get involved. Unite Virginia is a coordinated care network of health and social service providers. Partners in the network are connected through a shared technology platform, which enables them to send and receive electronic referrals, address people’s social needs and improve he...

How can we address mental health on a community level? Sabrina Burress, Executive Director of the ARROW Project joined me to discuss how they are identifying and addressing the needs in Staunton, Augusta, and Waynesboro. If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, check out our upcoming Pride of Rural Virginia community conversations.

How can rural healthcare providers serve everyone in their communities? Ivy Hill with the Campaign for Southern Equality and Gender Benders joined me to discuss why your zip code shouldn’t restrict your access. Upcoming Pride of Rural Virginia events: Farmville/Prince Edward County: August 21st, 1-3 pm EST Pulaski County: August 28th, 1-3 pm EST Shenandoah County: September 18th, 1-3 pm EST

What does it take to be a leader when you are a medical student? Caroline Morgan, 3rd Year Medical student at Eastern Virginia Medical School joined me to discuss her experience. If you are a health professions student in Virginia and are interested in developing your leadership skills and making connections with rural health professionals, visit the VRHA Board page, and fill out the application form at the bottom.

Why would someone running for Lt. Governor bother to visit far Southwest Virginia? Delegate Sam Rasoul joined The Rural Health Voice to discuss the importance of serving all Virginians. The Rural Health Voice and the Virginia Rural Health Association are nonpartisan. If there is a state-level candidate you think we should hear from, have the campaign contact us at staff@vrha.org If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, check out our upcoming Pride of Rural Virginia communi...

How are substance use disorders related to stimulants different or similar from opioids? Dr. Richard Rawson, Research Professor at Vermont Center for Behavior and Health joined me to discuss stimulants and how we can do a better job with treatment. You can review Dr. Rawson’s slides from his presentation at the recent ACOR Summit. If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, join VRHA for the virtual kickoff of our Pride of Rural Virginia event, June 12th. Links to details an...

What can healthcare providers do to assure that LGBTQIA+ people have a safe and welcoming environment? Artist KT Taylor joined RHV to discuss their research on rural communities. Additional resources: VRHA’s Pride of Rural Virginia Not Alone, Never Was Rural Queer History Not Alone Daily Yonder interview of KT Taylor Farm Boys – Lives of Gay Men from the Rural Midwest

With all the talk about the COVID vaccine, have we forgotten about other vaccines? Dr. Ferdaus Hassan, Medical Science Liaison with Sanofi Pasteur joined the Rural Health Voice to discuss meningitis and the need to get vaccinated. World Meningitis Day is April 24th. VRHA is one of the co-sponsors of the upcoming Appalachian Communities Opioid Response Summit. Join us online May 19th!

What is the connection between workforce and health? Marty Holiday, Executive Director of the New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Board joined The Rural Health Voice to discuss their new initiative to get people back on a career path. If you want to be part of the conversation about substance use disorders, join the Appalachian Communities Opioid Response summit. It will be hosted virtually May 19th and include participants from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, as well...

Why is it important to talk to your family members about their health history? Mindy Conklin joined The Rural Health Voice to discuss the efforts of her nonprofit “Hitting Cancer Below the Belt” and the risk factors you should consider for colorectal cancer.

What does the Black Death in the 1300s have to do with how we react to COVID today? Historian Don Leech joined me to discuss The History of Conspiracies. Don is a contributing author for the book Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories.

How can technology improve healthcare access? Donna Dittman Hale, Executive Director of the Bay Rivers Telehealth Alliance joined The Rural Health Voice to discuss plugging into telehealth. Ms. Hale was one of the speakers at the recent Rural Health Voice conference. To view the video presentation that led to this interview, visit the Rural Health Voice conference and register for the event. You can choose to just watch just one, or all five of our excellent speakers.

How does racism contribute to poor health outcomes? Dr. Kevin Harris from Virginia Commonwealth University joined me to discuss health inequities. Dr. Harris was one of the speakers at our recent Rural Health Voice conference. To view the video presentation that led to this interview, visit VRHA.org, select Rural Health Voice conference under the events tab, and register for the event. You can choose to just watch Dr. Harris, or all five of our excellent speakers.

How will the recent changes in Congress and the Presidency impact rural healthcare? Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association joined the Rural Health Voice to discuss his view of Capitol Hill. NRHA is the host of the upcoming Rural Health Policy Institute. the Rural Health Voice encourages you to join that event. Mr. Morgan was one of the speakers at our recent Rural Health Voice conference. To view the video presentation that led to this interview register for the event to rece...

What’s going on at the Virginia Department of Health to make improvements in our rural communities? Dr. Norm Oliver, State Health Commissioner, Virginia Department of Health joined me to discuss the Virginia State Rural Health Plan. To view the video presentation that led to this interview, register for the Rural Health Voice conference. You can choose to just watch Dr. Oliver, or all five of our excellent speakers.

How does the way hospitals get paid reinforce healthcare disparities? Dr. Amol Navathe joined RHV to discuss the need for payment reform and how the current system enables problems. Dr. Navathe’s editorial: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/opinion/medical-racism-payment-models.html

Why do some people have big concerns about vaccinations? Anna Muldon joined RHV to discuss the anti-vaxx movement and its implications for addressing COVID. Anna is a contributing author to the book Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories, due out soon.

Why don’t we grow more of our own food? Amyrose Foll, Founder of the Virginia Free Farm joined the Rural Health Voice to discuss how they are assuring that Virginian’s have access to healthy food. More information: RVA Agriculture Richmond Food Justice If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, make sure you check out the Virginia Rural Health Association on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!