The COVID-19 pandemic has had drastic effects on the healthcare world including staffing, medical mistrust, and patient care. This era also introduced a less recognizable clinical issue known as medical misinformation. This week we are talking with Wendy Welch, the Executive Director of the Southwest Virginia Graduate Medical Education Consortium. Wendy will discuss her new book, Masks, Misinformation, and Making Do:  Appalachian Health-Care Workers and the COVID-19 Pandemic, and how healthcare leaders can address misinformation and mistrust in their communities.

“The time to combat misinformation is when it doesn’t matter. The time to build alliances and trust is before you need them.” 

-Wendy Welch

In addition to directing the Graduate Medical Education Consortium of SWVA, Welch is the author of six books about Appalachia, including culture, healthcare, and education. She blogs at wendy-welch.com and is a passionate advocate for helping people understand Appalachia’s nuances and hidden depths.

If you are interested in learning more about Wendy’s book Masks, Misinformation, & Making Do follow this link: Masks, Misinformation, and Making Do: Appalachian Health-Care Workers and the COVID-19 Pandemic · Ohio University Press / Swallow Press (ohioswallow.com)