This week on Rural Health Leadership Radio we’re talking about several of the challenges rural health leaders face with Naomi Sweeney from the State Office of Rural Health and Primary Care at the Arkansas Department of Health. Her state office has recently received approval to sponsor 10 Critical Access Hospital CEOs in attending the National Rural Health Association Rural Hospital CEO Training Program. Their vision is to these 10 CEOs return and share what they have learned with other rural hospital CEOs across the state. The expectation is that there will be a lot of good measurable data on the improvement at participant facilities once they implement the lessons learned. They see a tremendous value in this program and look forward to seeing how it affects rural health across the state.

“You cannot make a difference from an office chair alone, let people see your face.”

~Naomi Sweeney

Naomi Sweeney is the State Office of Rural Health Coordinator for the state of Arkansas. She is housed within the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care at the Arkansas Department of Health. Naomi is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas. She has a Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, and she has over 14 years’ experience in public health-related fields. When Naomi began her work at the Arkansas Office of Rural Health and Primary Care in November of 2018, she was responsible for recruitment and retention of medical professionals in rural and underserved areas of Arkansas through programs such as Nurse Corps, various National Health Service Corps programs, and the J1 Visa program. Naomi has an excellent track record in the field of public health, with plenty of public speaking experience, a heart for community service, and a desire to improve the health of rural Arkansans.