Healthcare sessions explore ways to improve access to rural healthcare
Keene, NH – The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed healthcare-access disparities across the
country, problems that need solutions for the success of rural communities, says the organizer of Radically Rural’s healthcare track.
Sharon Beaty, a founder of New Hampshire’s Mid-state Health Center, has assembled three sessions aimed at revealing solutions to problems that rural healthcare systems face. From doctor recruitment, to fundraising, to keeping a community on board with strategic plans, rural area health officials are working against long odds.
Beaty hopes to see session attendees from all backgrounds, including community organizers, municipal and city leaders, activists, philanthropists and healthcare workers.
“Healthcare is integral to the success of a community as a whole. After a year of change, it’s important that we adapt to a new normal,” she says.
Beaty’s sessions are:
Keeping Healthcare Alive and Thriving in Rural Communities – 10:30 am, Sept.
22
COVID-19 took a huge toll on rural health systems, and rural communities are struggling to attract and keep healthcare providers. This session is led by Jeanne Ryer, director of the N.H. Citizens Health Initiative, and she will offer ways leaders can keep their local health sectors thriving. Telehealth technology has helped bring specialized care closer to home, and training programs like Project ECHO have helped connect rural health providers to their colleagues and up-to-date
care. A panel of experts, including nurse practitioners from the pandemic frontlines, will discuss best practices for retaining health professionals, attracting new ones and providing optimal care to rural communities.
Where Do We Turn? – 2 p.m., Sept. 22
A nationally renowned panel of experts will share information on resources that can boost collaboration and create healthcare systems that work. In this session, participants will receive an introduction to the Rural Health Information Hub, a source for information, opportunities, data and tools for improving. The session will explore model programs with important lessons on how to grow strategic partnerships at the local, regional and state levels. Speakers include, Kristine
Sande, program director for the Rural Health Information Hub; Teryl Eisinger, CEO, National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health; and Alisa Druzba, director, New Hampshire Rural Health and Primary Care Office
Funding Excellent Healthcare – 2:15 p.m., Sept. 23
Rural residents regularly encounter barriers to healthcare. A panel of experts will provide information on financially supporting healthcare in rural communities. Speakers include Eisinger, Sande and Allen Smart, advocate, PhilanthropywoRx, and they will provide a framework for addressing health in a way that fits the individual capacities of small towns. Participants can expect a primer on rural grant seeking and understanding how to build positive and long-lasting relationships with funders.
For more information on the Radically Rural Summit, or this year’s track themes,
visit the event’s website at radicallyrural.org
About Radically Rural:
The Radically Rural Summit is a national event that builds sustainability and success for rural life and places through a network that connects people to each other and to new ideas. Early bird price tickets are now on sale.
