Author Archives: Jenn Lukens

Together We Can Be Bully Free: CAH and Law Enforcement Address Peer Victimization through School-Based Program

Students listen to a Together We Can Be Bully Free presentation in Farmerville, Louisiana.


The connection between bullying and youth suicide in rural Union Parish, Louisiana, led a Critical Access Hospital to create an anti-bullying program. Together with local law enforcement, they teach students in elementary through high school the negative effects of peer victimization and how to model positive social behavior.

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July 25, 2018

Rural Post-Acute Care: Improving Transitions to Enhance Patient Recovery

LRHC Hospital Huddle


Post-acute care (PAC) services available locally can make fully recovering from a serious illness or injury faster and easier, setting the patient and provider up for the best possible outcome. This article looks at how a tertiary facility’s communication with skilled nursing facilities, a Critical Access Hospital’s swing bed program, and a home health agency are improving patient transitions from acute care to PAC.

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May 2, 2018

Recruitment and Retention: Overcoming the Rural EMS Dilemma

Humboldt’s EMS wreck extrication team rescues a driver from a motor vehicle collision.


Limited funding, expanding coverage areas, and a cultural shift in volunteerism across generations has motivated EMS leaders to find new recruitment methods that attract more personnel and keep them as long as possible.

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February 7, 2018

Confronting Adverse Childhood Experiences to Improve Rural Kids’ Lifelong Health

Buncombe County classroom "Calm Spot"


Studies show that the more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) one has, the higher the risk of chronic health conditions, anxiety disorders, low life potential, and even early death. A sense of urgency for early intervention spurred one western North Carolina school district and a Native American tribe in Wisconsin to act. Read more about how their programs confront ACEs and build resiliency to overcome them.

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September 20, 2017

Achieving Telehealth’s Promise for Rural Health: Insights from Telehealth Leaders

photos of rural telehealth panel contributors


Telehealth can be a virtual solution to reaching rural residents with healthcare, but its integration into mainstream medicine is taking longer than expected. Five leaders working to advance telehealth for rural areas articulate their thoughts on this delayed integration and the changes needed to make telehealth common practice.

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July 26, 2017

Online Screening Helps Michigan Men Gauge Mental Health

Jeff Elhart (left) and his brother, Wayne.


For the past few decades, suicide rates for working-aged men have been at a steep incline. Healthy Men Michigan is a unique campaign that evaluates the risk of depression and suicide in Michigan men through an anonymous online survey. Male-dominated industries and other organizations are drawn to the campaign’s creative methods that appeal to working-aged men.

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June 28, 2017