The Rural Impact Podcast went on the road again!  This time, we headed out west – the Pacific Northwest, to be exact, where we sought to amplify the Power of Rural and the importance of federal partnerships to address social drivers of health.

Welcome to our "Impact on the Road OREGON - The Power of Rural and Investments in Health" special National Rural Health Day episode.

During this special panel discussion recorded at the 41st Annual Oregon Rural Health Conference held in Bend, host Michelle Rathman moderates a conversation focused how the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, (HUD), are addressing the social drivers of health in rural Oregon and Region 10, and supporting policy-fueled investments in nutrition, housing, and access to essential healthcare services. 

In addition to panelists, Priya Helweg, Acting Regional Director, and Executive Officer for the Region 10 Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, Office of the Secretary, HHS, Chad Davis-Montgomery, Director, Supplemental Nutrition Division, Western Region, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, and Andrew Lofton, Regional Administrator, Region 10 HUD, this episode also features conversations with Erik Thorsen, CEO of Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria Oregon, named as the National Rural Health Association's Organization of the Year, Sarah Andersen, Director of Field Services at the Oregon Office of Rural Health, Jennifer Little, Director of Public Health for Klamath County, and Jerry Conklin, Chairman of the Board for South Morrow County Senior Matters.

For more information about the funding and technical assistance opportunities mentioned by panelists, look to our resource page.

To learn more about the stories of making a rural impact:

South Morrow County Senior Matters visit: South Morrow County Seniors Matter

To learn more about the BuildCMH project visit: https://www.columbiamemorial.org/buildcmh/

Learn more about National Rural Health Day Events at http://www.PowerofRural.org

To learn more about the HHS “Join the Health Workforce: A Career With Endless Possibilities” website visit: https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/workforce/index.html

To read the HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) Report “Health Care Workforce: Key Issues, Challenges, and the Path Forward” visit: https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/health-care-workforce-key-issues-challenges-path-forward

To learn more about the HRSA funding opportunity “The Graduate Psychology Education Program” visit: https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/355771

To learn more about the HRSA funding opportunity “The Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Professionals” visit https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/355772

To learn more about the HUD Rural Gateway Clearinghouse visit: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/rural-gateway

To learn more about the FNS Nutrition Programs visit: https://www.fns.usda.gov/programs

Michelle begins part one of the extra episode with Dr. Bill Hathaway of Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC). Dr. Hathaway and the MAHEC staff of more than 1,000 are committed to transforming rural health and wellness through education, the delivery of patient care, and a focus on community and public health. Before joining MAHEC in early 2022, Dr. Hathaway spent more than two decades working to meaningfully improve health across Western North Carolina as a MAHEC board member, as the chief medical officer for the region’s largest hospital system, and as a practicing cardiologist.

During this conversation, Michelle and Dr. Hathaway discuss the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene on healthcare access in Western North Carolina. Dr. Hathaway highlights the challenges rural healthcare systems face, including infrastructure damage, provider shortages, and the urgent need for recovery efforts. The discussion emphasizes the importance of community support and ongoing efforts to restore healthcare services in the affected areas.

In part two of this episode, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, Marion Mollegen McFadden. In this role, she oversees the administration of federal financial assistance to assist communities in ending homelessness, creating and preserving affordable housing, strengthening local economies, and disaster recovery and mitigation.

Michelle and Marion McFadden discuss HUD’s efforts in disaster recovery, funding initiatives, and housing solutions. They cover the impact of recent hurricanes, the importance of preparedness and resilience, and innovative programs like the Section 108 Legacy Challenge aimed at increasing affordable housing. McFadden emphasizes the need for community engagement and the role of HUD in supporting local jurisdictions to address housing challenges effectively.

The North Carolina Community Health Center Association is now accepting donations for its Disaster Relief Fund to deliver needed support to community health centers and staff impacted by Hurricane Helene.

To learn more visit: https://www.ncchca.org/disaster-donations/
To learn more about the Section 108 Legacy Challenge visit: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/section108/legacy-challenge

In part one of the final episode of this series, Michelle met with Dakota Pawlicki, Director of Talent Hubs with CivicLab. In this role, he serves exemplary cross-sector partnerships focused on postsecondary attainment that have met rigorous standards for partnership health, equity, and systems change. He brings his expertise in postsecondary education, collective impact, stakeholder engagement, and change management to a network of nearly 100 partnerships, supporting their efforts to improve the human condition. Dakota also hosts Lumina Foundation's podcast Today's Students, Tomorrow's Talent, which features conversations with newsmakers and leaders in the field of learning after high school.

Michelle and Dakota begin the discussion by highlighting the work of CivicLab in advancing civic collaboration and improving postsecondary attainment in communities. He introduces the Talent Hub designation, a marker of an exemplary cross-sector partnership, and emphasizes the importance of context in community collaboration. Pawlicki shares examples of communities that have successfully addressed complex social challenges by redesigning their context and engaging multiple stakeholders. He also highlights the role of collaboration at the community level in addressing barriers to earning a college degree and achieving talent-related goals. Pawlicki advises communities to focus on role clarity, self-determination, and implementing practical solutions before seeking policy changes.

In part two of this episode, Michelle was joined by Elaine M. Morgan, CEO of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. Elaine is a fifth-generation Berkeley County, SC, native with over 30 years of leadership experience. She is dedicated to fostering the region's economic growth and community development, working closely with local industries to help them expand, create jobs, and increase wages. Morgan's efforts have had a significant impact, mainly through her close collaboration with elected officials and business leaders to address emerging challenges and opportunities. A cornerstone of her work is the expansion of Community Resource Hubs across the county, offering residents critical services such as workforce training and telehealth.

In this conversation, Michelle Rathman and Elaine discuss innovative initiatives to revitalize rural communities in South Carolina, the importance of collaboration, the establishment of community resource hubs, and the challenges residents face in accessing employment and healthcare. Elaine shares insights on how these hubs are designed to meet the community's needs, the significance of measuring success through community engagement, and the role of policy advocacy in addressing essential needs.

Ascendium sponsors this episode of The Rural Impact podcast, believing that learning after high school transforms lives. Driven by this belief, their philanthropy focuses on systemic change to elevate opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds. Ascendium has a particular interest in elevating rural postsecondary education and workforce training. They fund research and resources to help ensure more rural learners have pathways to good jobs that lead to upward mobility. Learn more about their Rural Impact at ascendiumphilanthropy.org, sign up for their newsletter, and follow them on social media.

In part one of the second episode of this series, Michelle met with Senior Policy Analyst Ivy Love and Senior Program Associate Tiffany Thai from the Center on Education & Labor at New America. Ivy Love's work focuses on community colleges, their students, and federal and state policies that support them. Before New America, Love worked as a policy analyst for the Association of Community College Trustees, as a lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis and Webster University, and as a refugee orientation educator at the International Institute of St. Louis. Love is a PhD candidate in higher education administration at Saint Louis University.

Tiffany Thai comes from a first-generation, low-income background. She is passionate about transformational learning and advancing educational equity for marginalized students and their communities.

Michelle, Tiffany, and Ivy explore the critical role of community colleges in providing bachelor's degrees, particularly in rural areas, and discuss the challenges these institutions face, including resistance to program expansion, varying state policies, and the importance of adult learners. They emphasize the need for employer engagement to address workforce shortages and advocate for policies that support community colleges in meeting local educational needs.

In part two of this episode, Michelle was joined by the Executive Director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges and a Professor of Higher Education at Appalachian State University, Dr. Andrew Koricich. His research focuses on postsecondary education issues facing rural communities, with an emphasis on rural-serving postsecondary institutions.

Michelle and Dr. Koricich discuss the benefits of community college bachelor's programs (CCB) from an institutional and policymaker perspective. They highlight how CCBs can help rural community colleges address enrollment drops, build relationships with employers, and meet the workforce needs of their communities. They also emphasize the importance of providing postsecondary options for adults who want to pursue new careers. They also explore rural serving institutions' challenges, such as financial constraints, lack of support, and the need for collaboration and regional partnerships to expand CCB programs.

Ascendium sponsors this episode of The Rural Impact podcast, believing that learning after high school transforms lives. Driven by this belief, their philanthropy focuses on systemic change to elevate opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds. Ascendium has a particular interest in elevating rural postsecondary education and workforce training. They fund research and resources to help ensure more rural learners have pathways to good jobs that lead to upward mobility. Learn more about their Rural Impact at ascendiumphilanthropy.org, sign up for their newsletter, and follow them on social media.

In the first episode of this new series, Michelle had a compelling conversation with Jeff Strohl, Ph.D., who serves as Research Professor and Director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW). Dr. Strohl was one of the Center's founding staff and served as CEW's Director of Research since 2008. In this position, he led the Center's research agenda. In particular, this focused on the intersection of education and labor market analyses and their impact on policy. While directing research, Dr. Strohl also continued his work on biases in postsecondary and labor market outcomes.

During this conversation, they also discussed CEW's data-rich report, "Small Towns, Big Opportunities: Many Workers in Rural Areas Have Good Jobs, but These Areas Need Greater Investment in Education, Training, and Career Counseling." They continue the conversation by discussing disparities between good jobs for men and women in rural areas, persistent inequality for racial and ethnic minority groups, the challenges of non-participation in the labor force, and promising occupations for workers in rural areas. Dr. Strohl also highlights how challenges in rural areas can be addressed by building rural human capital, utilizing existing human capital, and stimulating rural economic growth.

In part two of this episode, Michelle was joined by Kayla C. Elliott, Ph.D., Director of Workforce Policy at The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America's Black think tank. Her team centers Black communities in policy debates concerning the future of work, workforce development, and access to good jobs by developing and advocating for robust policy solutions that prioritize Black workers and learners today and in the future. Previously, Dr. Elliott was the director of higher education policy at The Education Trust and held various teaching and research positions at Florida Atlantic University, where she earned a Ph.D. in higher education leadership.

Michelle and Dr. Elliott's conversation provides context to the history of Black workers and industry in the South, and they discuss the connection between policy and postsecondary education and the impact of training and career development on young Black workers today. The conversation also focuses on the Joint Center's report on the Future of Work in the Black Rural South, highlighting the region's historical significance and challenges due to automation and low-cost labor, and touches on apprenticeships, the barriers Black apprentices face, and the data challenges in understanding Black WIOA participants in the South. Dr. Elliott emphasizes the importance of addressing racial inequality, putting workers first, and prioritizing job quality in policy and workforce development.

Ascendium sponsors this episode of The Rural Impact podcast, believing that learning after high school transforms lives. Driven by this belief, their philanthropy focuses on systemic change to elevate opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds. Ascendium has a particular interest in elevating rural postsecondary education and workforce training. They fund research and resources to help ensure more rural learners have pathways to good jobs that lead to upward mobility. Learn more about their Rural Impact at ascendiumphilanthropy.org, sign up for their newsletter, and follow them on social media.

Show Resources:

Five Charts To Understand Black Registered Apprentices in the United States: https://jointcenter.org/five-charts-to-understand-black-registered-apprentices-in-the-united-states/

An Introduction To the Future Of Work in the Black Rural South https://jointcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Intro-to-the-Future-of-Work-in-the-Black-Rural-South.pdf

Small Towns, Big Opportunities
https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/cew-small_towns_big_opportunity-full_report.pdf

In this Rural Impact Extra episode, which we're releasing as our second special in our seventh series, "Courageous Conversations About the 2024 Elections," Michelle has what she has described as "a conversation of a lifetime" with the author of the newly released book Bone of the Bone: Essays on America, Sarah Smarsh.

Hailing from Kansas, Sarah is a journalist who has reported for The New York Times, Harper's Magazine, The Guardian, and many other publications. Her first book, Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her second book, She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs, was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. Smarsh is a frequent political commentator and speaker on socioeconomic class.

Sarah and Michelle discuss various essays from her book 'Bone of the Bone: Essays on America' and explore themes such as media bias, poverty, prejudice, labels, and rural politics. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the complexities of socioeconomic class and the need for productive dialogue and empathy. Smarsh also highlights the significance of politicians like the Vice-Presidential candidate and current Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, who can bridge the gap between rural and urban communities. Overall, her essays shed light on the experiences and challenges faced by marginalized groups and advocate for a more inclusive and understanding society.

Purchase Your Copy of Bone of the Bone on Amazon > https://amzn.to/3XwT5SR
For Book Tour Information > https://sarahsmarsh.com/book-tour

In the extra episode in our seventh series, "Courageous Conversations About the 2024 Elections," Michelle talks with Bryanta (Bre) Booker-Maxwell, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Rural Coalitions Director.

During this episode, Bre shares the impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act on rural communities, including addressing issues such as clean water, clean air, roads, bridges, and grants for rural areas. Michelle and Bre discuss the need for accessible and affordable healthcare in rural areas and how a Harris-Walz Administration will focus on strengthening Medicaid expansion, addressing rural hospital closures, and improving access to Obstetric services, focusing on the U.S. fast-growing rural OB deserts.

Michelle and Bre round out the conversation, touching on crucial priorities for the Harris-Walz Administration, including the importance of funding and supporting rural schools and the plans for the USDA and the Farm Bill. They also address Project 2024, programs such as Supplemental Nutrition and Food Programs, housing affordability, and the importance of making informed decisions in the upcoming election.

In the third episode of our seventh series, "Courageous Conversations About the 2024 Election-Rural Issues Impacting Real Lives," Michelle talks with Founder and President of the Center for Rural Strategies, Dee Davis. Dee has helped design and lead national public information campaigns on topics as diverse as commercial television programming and federal banking policy.

Dee began his media career in 1973 as a trainee at Appalshop, an arts and cultural center devoted to exploring Appalachian life and social issues in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Dee is on the board of the Kentucky Historical Society, Fund for Innovative Television, and Feral Arts of Brisbane, Australia. He is also a member of the Institute for Rural Journalism’s national advisory board. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Institute for Work and the Economy and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship. Dee is also the former Chair of the board of directors of Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation.

During this conversation, Dee and Michelle discuss the stark differences in past and present elections, how we should look at the rural electorate in 2024, as well as breakdown of Dee’s book review of White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy. They continue the conversation by discussing the book The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America, differentiation between the politics of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan places, and how policies impact rural America.