Health on the Plains Coffee Hour

On Oct. 29, KHI hosted the Health on the Plains Coffee Hour with a conversation featuring Mark Holmes, Director of the University of North Carolina (UNC) Sheps Center for Health Services Research and Professor at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. This session explored the complex work at the intersection of public policy, health care financing and rural places.

How can we bridge the gap between community identified needs and available resources? On Sept. 24, KHI hosted the Health on the Plains Coffee Hour with a conversation featuring Kjestine Woods, Program Officer, National Health Program, at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). This session explored the role Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) can play in building resilient, inclusive rural communities through strong partnerships and innovative strategies to strengthen access to foundational resources for health, including healthy housing, primary care and nutritious food. The event was also promoted with Kjestine’s colleague, Nadia Villagrán, Vice President of LISC and Director of Rural LISC, and we are pleased to share her bio below to highlight her work.

What are the opportunities for positive rural health care transformation within a rapidly changing policy environment? On Aug. 27, KHI hosted the Health on the Plains Coffee Hour with a conversation featuring Brock Slabach, Chief Operations Officer at the National Rural Health Association. The session focused on the challenges and opportunities shaping rural health, drawing on Brock’s decades of experience in rural hospital leadership, national policy work and rural health system development. Brock shared insights on the transformational potential – and potential roadblocks – for the newly created federal Rural Health Transformation Program, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and creativity in driving meaningful rural health improvements.

How can rural policy be reimagined to better meet the needs of rural communities in the 21st century?  On July 30, KHI hosted the second Health on the Plains Coffee Hour with a conversation featuring Tony Pipa, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Sustainable Development. The session focused on the ways rural policy – particularly at the federal level – can be reimagined to better meet the needs and opportunities of rural communities. Tony shared insights on the complexity of navigating federal programs for rural development, the ways funding requirements can become barriers for rural communities, and the value of investing in local people and institutions.

How can we bridge rural health and economic development to support thriving rural communities? On June 25, KHI launched the Health on the Plains Coffee Hour series with a conversation featuring Bonita Robertson-Hardy of the Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group. The session focused on bridging rural health and economic development. Robertson-Hardy shared insights on the importance of trust, asset-based approaches and local leadership in successful cross-sector collaborations in rural communities.