Ep. 061: Health Care in Rural America - A Perspective from Georgia

  Jessi Troyan, Director of Policy & Research for the Cardinal Institute, takes over the Forgotten America podcast as guest host. She interviews Chris Denson, Director of Policy & Research at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, about health care in rural America, particularly focusing on his experiences with the healthcare system in Georgia.    Prior to his time at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, Chris served as Director of Outreach at HCA Memorial Health in Savannah, a 612-bed Level 1 trauma center serving a 32-county region in Southeast Georgia and South Carolina and as the Director of Advisory Services for Hometown Health, a multi-state rural hospital trade association based in Georgia. He shares his unique perspective on health care policy and its impacts on rural communities.    Key Statistics Mentioned: 159 Counties in Georgia 82 w/o OB/GYNs 65 w/o Pediatricians 40 w/o Internal Medicine 18 w/o Family Medicine 9 with No Physicians whatsoever Certificate of Need - Heavily regulated in Georgia 50 services and facility types are regulated through CON You're 10% more likely to have a Nurse Practitioner office in rural areas.   Reports from Georgia Public Policy Foundation https://www.georgiapolicy.org/publications/addressing-georgias-healthcare-disparities-the-benefits-of-full-practice-authority-for-nurse-practitioners-and-physician-assistants/#how-underserved-is-most-of-georgia   https://www.georgiapolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CON-report.pdf      Georgia Public Policy Foundation: https://www.georgiapolicy.org/about/ Chris Denson: https://www.georgiapolicy.org/people/chris-denson/  Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation: https://csorwvu.com/  Garrett Ballengee, Host Executive Director - @gballeng Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy   Amanda Kieffer, Executive Producer Communications Director - @akieffer13  Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy   Nate Phipps, Editor & Producer Communications & Social Media Associate - @Aviv5753 Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy   Follow: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram Support: Patreon, Donate, Newsletter