Topics: Networking and collaboration

Increasing Knowledge of Palliative Care in South Dakota

Palliative care, designed to treat the symptoms of a serious illness at any stage of diagnosis, is associated with better outcomes like higher patient satisfaction. Despite these benefits, many people in rural communities cannot access these services or don’t know what palliative care is. The South Dakota Palliative Care Network is working to increase knowledge of palliative care among rural healthcare professionals, nursing students, and community members.

Over 5,200 rural organizations participate in the Rural Health Clinics program, a reimbursement model dedicated to rural low-volume healthcare delivery and now in its 45th year. The National Association of Rural Health Clinics — in its 30th year — is a membership organization that emerged as the program increased its participants. Bill Finerfrock, association cofounder and its recently retired executive director, shared the group’s origin story as well as touchpoints from his own career.

To keep 24/7 urgent care available in Maine’s Moose River Valley, a new pilot program lets paramedics take shifts staffing the local health center after-hours and on weekends.

By leveraging federal COVID-related funding, the Quapaw Nation now serves its local residents with a new community paramedicine program. Current program data indicates that it’s bringing significant cost savings, along with valuable information for future local healthcare delivery decision-making. Most importantly, the program is also proving to be widely acceptable to community members.

Peggy Broussard Wheeler, Vice President of Policy at the California Hospital Association, discusses the challenges that the hospitals in her state and nationwide have faced before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also shares rural hospitals’ unique strengths and the importance of collaboration and relationships.

Clinical psychologist and program director for the Great Plains Telehealth Resource & Assistance Center, Dr. Jonathan Neufeld, clarifies telehealth as an “enabler” of healthcare delivery. Emphasizing that telehealth is only a set of telecommunication tools, he details how the unique use and flexibility of these tools by skilled providers can bring quality care and impact rural health equity.

Healthcare facilities in Kansas and North Dakota and national organizations discuss the challenges of recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals in rural areas and share solutions, including partnering with local schools and businesses as well as other healthcare facilities.

Amanda Cohn, MD, Chief Medical Officer on CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, shares how the CDC is providing funding, creating resources, and partnering with other organizations to increase vaccination rates in underserved communities such as rural, tribal, and communities of color.

Bringing focus to rural housing quality as a social determinant of health, a healthcare organization joins a service organization and housing experts to explain housing’s impact on health and how these organizations can work together to improve rural population health.

Graham Adams, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the South Carolina Office of Rural Health (SCORH), shares how his office is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing social determinants of health like employment.

The Rural Monitor

Articles and resources on key rural health issues, from the Rural Health Information Hub

Topics: Networking and collaboration

Increasing Knowledge of Palliative Care in South Dakota

A Career of Influencing Rural Healthcare Delivery: Bill Finerfrock and the NARHC Origin Story

‘Filling the Cracks’: How a Rural Maine Community Kept its 24/7 Urgent Care Open with Paramedics

Understanding the “Tool-ish-ness” of Telehealth: Q&A with Dr. Jonathan Neufeld

It Takes a Village: Rural Recruitment and Retention

Vaccinating Rural America: Q&A with Dr. Amanda Cohn

Asset-Based Thinking: Q&A with Graham Adams