This week on Rural Health Leadership Radio™ we’re talking about the Medicaid Work Requirement. We’re having that conversation with Portia Brown, Vice President at Valley Health Page Memorial Hospital, Shena Popat, Research Scientist at NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, and Laurel Molly, Chief Nursing Officer at UNC Lenoir Health Care. Portia, Shena and Laurel were 2018-2019 Rural Health Fellows with the National Rural Health Association (NRHA), where they focused on the Medicaid Work Requirement, culminating in a Policy Paper presented to and adapted by the NRHA Rural Health Congress.
“The national landscape is changing daily on this topic.”
Portia Brown
Portia Brown is the Vice President at Valley Health Page Memorial Hospital located in Luray, Virginia. She has 35 years of healthcare experience to include 30 years in leadership positions working in large and small hospitals, a 1000 bed Veterans Administration hospital, academic facility, and Martin Marietta contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy. Portia has a passion for patient safety, risk reduction, performance improvement, patient experience and providing an environment where staff and physicians have a great place to work and patients to receive high quality compassionate care. Portia received undergraduate degrees in laboratory technology and medical technology from Auburn University and a Master of Science in Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, Medical College of Virginia. Portia is a certified professional in healthcare quality (CPHQ), patient safety (CPPS), and healthcare risk management (CPHRM) as well as Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Currently, Portia serves on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Rural Healthcare Association as well as on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Chapter of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management.
“Veterans can be affected by work requirements…
and they will face the same work requirement as others.”
Shena Popat
Shena Popat is a Research Scientist for the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis at NORC at the University of Chicago. She has experience working specifically on rural and frontier health projects, conducting grant program evaluations and collaborating with colleagues to develop policy recommendations for federal agencies. Previously, Shena worked in administration at a critical access hospital and rural health clinic. Shena has her MHA from the George Washington University.
“Our great discovery to highlight is that… rural does need to be taken seriously.”
Laurel Molloy
Laurel Molloy MSN, RN, CPHQ currently works at UNC Lenoir Health Care in Kinston, NC as the VP of Nursing and Rehab Services. As an RN for about 25 years, Laurel has contributed to nursing in many roles including bedside ICU and Emergency Department nursing, flight nursing, nurse education, organizational quality improvement, and formal executive nursing leadership. Recently, Laurel received a Hall of Honor Induction from East Carolina University, Greenville, NC where she earned her Bachelors in Nursing. She was a 2018 fellow for The National Rural Health Association and worked with a team that explored the impact of Medicaid Work Requirements in the rural setting. Her work passion is about providing excellent patient care, supporting practices that improve care delivery, mentoring new nurses and nursing leadership, and reducing disparity within the rural environment. She is married to Dennis and they have 4 children; Audrey (25), Elijah (24), Ethan (20), and Claire (18).
One Comment on “145: A Conversation about the Medicaid Work Requirement”
Fabulous conversation. I wasn’t sure what the perspective was going to be, but I’m a care giver for a rural person with multiple chronic conditions. This person was always a very hard worker, supported his family well, but the health conditions caused him to lose his job and he doesn’t have the physical capacity to work and because of some of his conditions, he doesn’t drive. So, there are a lot of barriers that would prevent this person from participating in a Medicaid work requirement program. His Medicaid benefits have saved his life and brought him back to a better quality of life (i.e. no more chronic pain). If he lost his benefits because he can’t work, he would simply die from his chronic conditions, but not before suffering greatly for a length of time.
The conversation was more precise and in depth than I expected. These women have done an amazing job and I greatly appreciate them voicing it publicly.