2021 Rural Health Voice Conference
Welcome to our 2021 event!
For over twenty years, the Virginia Rural Health Association has served as “The Voice for Rural Health in Virginia.” Rural Health is DIFFERENT. Rural Americans face a unique combination of factors that create disparities in health care not found in urban areas. Economic factors, cultural and social differences, educational differences, lack of recognition by legislators and the isolation of living in remote rural areas all conspire to impede rural Americans in their struggle to lead a normal, healthy life. This event focuses on the opportunity for rural health stakeholder to hold in-depth conversations about how the issues in our communities can be addressed.
The Rural Health Voice Conference is an occasion to recognize that health in rural areas is not the sole responsibility of doctors and nurses. Education, economic development, transportation, the built environment, and even social opportunities play a role in the health of individuals and communities. All aspects of the community are providers or barriers to health.
In keeping with the national focus on health safety and concerns about meeting in person, our 2021 event will be virtual.
Agenda
For 2021, VRHA will have a mixed format.
Plenary Sessions will be hosted live, but also recorded to review later.
Interactive Discussions will have a focus topic, but no formal presentation. Participants will have the opportunity to ask each other questions about how the issue is being addressed locally. Who is doing what? What works? What doesn’t? The interactive discussions will be your opportunity to network with your peers and share information about common situations.
Student Presentations will give health professions and public policy students the opportunity to present on work they have completed as it relates to rural health issues.
- Details for students wanting to present are here. Note – there is no charge to attend the student presentations.
*ASL Interpretation and/or Captioning Services available for all sessions upon request.*
November 1st
TBA
November 2nd
10:00 am Racism as a Public Health Crisis: Implications for Rural Communities – Dr. Janice Underwood (Plenary)
12:00 pm Vaccine Hesitancy – Andrew Luskin & Shani Gaylord (Interactive)
3:00 pm Community Health Workers – Shani Gaylord (Plenary)
November 3rd
12:00 pm Showcasing Rural Strengths – Laura Hunt Trull (Interactive)
November 4th
10:00 am Health Equity, Poverty, & Rural Resilience – Michael Meit (Plenary)
12:00 pm Recovery Housing for Substance Use Disorders – Jordan Laney (Interactive)
3:00 pm Unite Us – Laura Thompson & Summer Sage (Plenary)
November 9th
10:00 am Pride of Rural Virginia – Beth O’Connor (Plenary)
12:00 pm Maternal Health – Kenda Sutton-El (Interactive)
3:00 pm Virginia’s Health Workforce – Dr. Bill Hazel (Plenary)
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Student Presentations – TBD
Visit the Student Presentations page for details
November 10th
10:00 am Changes in Telehealth Regulations – Rebecca Gwilt (Plenary)
12:00 pm Addressing Stigma & Bias – Mindy Eckstein (Interactive)
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Student Presentations – TBD
November 16th
10:00 am Commonwealth Connect Coalition – Kyle Rosner (Plenary)
12:00 pm Residential Treatment for Substance Abuse Disorders – Jordan Laney (Interactive)
3:00 pm Rural Health and the CDC – Diane Hall (Plenary)
November 17th
4:00 pm Food Insecurity and Nutrition – Laura Hunt Trull (Interactive)
November 18th
10:00 am Introducing the State Rural Health Plan 2022-2026 – State Office of Rural Health (Plenary)
12:00 pm Geriatric Behavioral Health – Sandy Bryant (Interactive)
3:00 pm A View from the Hill – Caroline Cochran-McClain (Plenary)
About Our Sessions
For 2021, our plenary speakers will be:
Dr. Janice Underwood, Ph. D.
Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Commonwealth of Virginia
“Racism as a Public Health Crisis: Implications for Rural Communities”
William A. Hazel, Jr., M.D.
Senior Deputy Executive Director, Claude Moore Charitable Foundation
Former Virginia Secretary of Health & Human Resources
“Virginia’s Health Workforce”
Michael Meit
Director of Research & Programs, ETSU Center for Rural Health Research
“Health Equity, Poverty, and Rural Resilience”
Diane M. Hall, Ph.D., MSEd.
Senior Scientist for Policy and Strategy, Center for Disease Control and Prevention
“Rural Health and the CDC”
Beth O’Connor, M. Ed.
Executive Director, Virginia Rural Health Association
“Pride of Rural Virginia”
Shani Gaylord
Director of Community Programs, Piedmont Access to Health Services
“Community Health Workers”
Kyle Rosner
Deputy Broadband Advisor, Commonwealth of Virginia
“Commonwealth Connect Coalition”
State Office of Rural Health
“Introducing the State Rural Health Plan 2022-2026”
Rebecca Gwilt
Co-founder, Nixon Gwilt Law
“Changes in Telehealth Regulations”
Summer Sage & Laura Thompson
Unite Us Care Coordination Software
Interactive Discussion Topics
- Vaccine Hesitancy
- Substance Use Disorders: Residential Treatment
- Substance Use Disorders: Recovery Housing
- Behavioral Health for the Geriatric Population
- Maternal Health
- Remote Patient Monitoring
- Marketing to the Underserved
- Addressing Stigma and Bias
- Showcasing Rural Strengths
Registration
As always, registration for the Rural Health Voice Conference includes VRHA membership fees for the following year. For 2021, that means your 2022 membership fees are included with registration for the 2021 event.
- Member: $75.00
- Non-Member: $150.00
- Student: $10.00 (full-time student in any health professions or public policy program)
Register Here!
Registration fees included unlimited access to all of the event presentations.
Sponsor Information
Special thanks to our 2021 conference sponsors:
Download the Sponsor Packet HERE.
For information about being an event sponsor, contact:
Meghan Stump
Administrative Assistant
540-231-7993
meghan@vrha.org