Courage In Healthcare Courage in Healthcare

In this series on rural health in America, we’re diving into the issues that are threatening access to care in some of our most medically underserved communities.

Our third and final episode focuses on the financial viability of rural hospitals. We will hear from Alan Morgan of the National Rural Health Association, Brad Huerta, CEO of Lost Rivers, and Dr. Mark Holmes, a professor of health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

These experts will help us understand the impact hospital closures are having on the health and wealth of America’s rural populations and what measures are being taken to protect the healthcare organizations we cannot afford to lose.

In this series on rural health in America, we’re diving into the issues that are threatening access to care in some of our most medically underserved communities. This episode focuses on the problem of physician shortages, which is particularly dire in rural areas, as well as the leaders who are trying to find creative ways to recruit doctors to the communities that need them most.

We will hear from Dr. Curry of UAB again, as well as Alan Morgan of the National Rural Health Association, Bill Finerfrock of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics, and Brad Huerta, CEO of Lost Rivers, a thriving rural hospital in the small town of Arco, Idaho.

Their expertise is invaluable to anyone struggling to find solutions to physician shortages in rural areas.

This episode kicks off our new series on rural healthcare in America. Rural populations are often medically underserved, and the hospitals and health systems that serve them are struggling to survive.

In this series, we take a look at health disparities in rural America, as well as the healthcare professionals, government entities, and businesses that are trying to make sure every American has equal access to quality care and lifesaving technologies.

Our hope is to shine a light on the leaders who are courageously finding a way forward in rural health.

This episode we speak with Dr. Ben Fickenscher, an emergency room physician from Chesapeake, VA. Dr. Fickenscher successfully implemented an innovative opioid use disorder treatment program at his health care system. In this episode, he speaks with us about the creation of the program, it’s early success, and how the coronavirus has impacted OUD treatment in his community and in the United States.

In this special episode of Courage In Healthcare, we speak with Drs. Arun and Barkha Chhabra. A married couple, Arun and Barkha share with us their experiences navigating the pandemic both as a family and as healthcare providers. We discuss the financial impact the virus has had on healthcare organizations, what physicians can do to better prepare themselves and their communities for outbreaks in the future, and how they’ve handled the challenges of the pandemic together.

In this special episode of Courage In Healthcare, we speak by phone with Dr. Katherine Williams, a practicing OBGYN and president of the Louisiana Medical Society. She shares with us her insights on maintaining a practice during the outbreak, the varying impact the virus has had on providers across different specialties, and the importance of care delivery amidst the fear of infection.