Category Archive

This week we’re having a conversation with Nancy Zimmerman, Administrator of Comanche County Hospital, in Coldwater, Kansas.  Comanche County Hospital was recognized by the National Rural Health Association as a 2017 Top 20 Critical Access Hospital Best Practice in Patient Satisfaction. “My only qualification was that was that I wanted to make sure this hospital would be here forever, and that was … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Sarah Hughes, Housing Navigator for United Healthcare.  Sarah joined United Healthcare Community Plan of Nebraska as the Housing Navigator in 2016. Prior to coming to UHC Sarah worked at a social services agency in the Omaha Metro for 12 years. During those twelve years, Sarah worked with victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, housing of those experiencing homelessness, and most recent was as the lead … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Roger Knak, CEO of Fairview Regional Medical Center in Fairview, OK. Roger has been the CEO at Fairview since 2006. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Russell Regional Hospital where he oversaw the transition to becoming a Critical Access Hospital with a hospital based nursing home. When Roger first went to … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Nicole Weathers, MSN, RN, the Program Manager for the University of Iowa College of Nursing – Online Nurse Residency Program. With nearly a decade of experience in rural healthcare, Nicole understands the unique challenges rural facilities face when it comes to recruitment and retention of the nursing workforce. “The role of the nurse … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Allan Jenkins, Ph.D., Professor of Economics at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Professor Jenkins was born and raised in Blackwell Oklahoma, a small town 60 miles south of Wichita Kansas. He received a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma in 1976, then spent the next five years working in local government at … Read More

This week we’re having a conversation with Steve Tenhouse, CEO of Kirby Medical Center, a 16-bed independent not-for-profit critical access hospital located in Central Illinois. Prior to assuming the CEO role in 2004, Steve served as the hospital’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Kirby Medical Center was recognized by the National Rural Health Association as a 2017 Top … Read More

This week we celebrate National Rural Health Day by having a conversation with the person who invented it! Karen Madden is the Director of the Charles D. Cook Office of Rural Health (ORH) within the New York State Department of Health. “National Rural Health Day began as a way to recognize and celebrate individuals and teams who give their best … Read More

This week we honor our veterans who have served our country, for which we are very thankful. We are fortunate to have two veterans as our guests today, Dale Gibbs and Dr. Tom Klobucar. Dale Gibbs is an Army veteran who was wounded in Vietnam. His initial contact with the VA System after discharge was less than ideal, but he … Read More

This week’s guest is Davis Patterson, PhD.  Davis is a sociologist and a research assistant professor in the University of Washington Department of Family Medicine in Seattle, Washington. He is Director of the Collaborative for Rural Primary Care Research, Education, and Practice (Rural PREP), Deputy Director of the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center, and an investigator in the UW Center … Read More

This week’s guest is Leslie Hall, the Executive Director of the Michigan Rural EMS Network (MiREMS). Leslie has been the Executive Director since the organization was created in 2011. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of the Huron-Sanilac EMS Network. Leslie actively initiated the organizational structure and expansion of MiREMS from a two-county initiative to a statewide network. … Read More