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Author: Beth O'Connor

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Posts by Beth O'Connor

RHV: 49 The Future of Rural Health in Virginia

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What’s going on at the Virginia Department of Health to make improvements in our rural communities?  Dr. Norm Oliver, State Health Commissioner, Virginia Department of Health joined me to discuss the Virginia State Rural Health Plan. To view the video presentation that led to this interview, register for the Rural Health Voice conference.  You can […]

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RHV 46: Food Sovereignty

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Why don’t we grow more of our own food?  Amyrose Foll, Founder of the Virginia Free Farm joined the Rural Health Voice to discuss how they are assuring that Virginian’s have access to healthy food. More information: RVA Agriculture Richmond Food Justice  If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, make […]

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RHV 45: What the Heck is an AHEC?

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What the heck is an AHEC?  Aileen Edwards Harris, Executive Director of the Capital Area Health Education Center gives us the answer. If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, check out the Rural Health Voice Conference. Other resources from this episode: National AHEC Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority National Association […]

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RHV 44: COVID Conspiracies & African American Communities

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Are conspiracies about COVID fact or fiction?  Ashley Reynolds Marshall, Executive Director, YWCA of Central Virginia joined me to discuss how mistrust of public health initiatives is sometimes well-earned.  Ashley is a contributing author to the book Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories, due out soon. If you want to be part of the conversation about rural health, join […]

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RHV 43: Maternal Health

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How does racial bias impact pregnancy and childbirth for African American women?  Kenda Sutton-El, Co-Executive Director at Birth In Color RVA joined the Rural Health Voice to discuss health inequities in maternal health If you want to hear more about this issue in our rural communities, join the Rural Health Voice Conference.  Speaker Kevin Harris […]

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RHV 42: Virginia COPES

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What can you do if dealing with COVID has got you down?  Craig Camidge, Director of the Office of Emergency Management at the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services  joined me to discuss the crisis counseling that is available free from Virginia COPES. Virginia C.O.P.E.S. has Crisis Counselors  available during the following times […]

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RHV 40: Senator Tim Kaine

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In recent years, the Virginia Rural Health Association has become increasingly concerned of the health inequities that are the reality for minority populations in rural Virginia.  African American women in Virginia are three times more likely to die after giving birth than white women. To address these disparities, we are proud to support the “Mothers […]

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RHV 39: Oral Health

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What are some of the needs for dental health in rural areas?  Sarah Raskin,PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, VCU and member of the iCubed Initiative, Oral Health Core joined the Rural Health Voice to discuss dental sealants and other oral health needs.  You can also […]

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RHV 38: Connecting to Patients

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What considerations do urban providers have to make when rural patients travel to see them?  Veronica Bernacchi, BSN, RN, PCCN joined The Rural Health Voice to discuss what she has learned about providing healthcare as a PhD student in nursing at the University of Virginia. Ms. Vernacci was the winner of VRHA’s 2019 scholarship conference.  […]

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RHV 37: Flying PPE

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How do medical supplies get to remote rural communities during a pandemic?  They fly!  Jess Ames, Outreach and Events Director, for Angel Flight East joined me to discuss a unique delivery method. Angel Flight East (AFE) Transporting PPE to Areas in Need Angel Flight East has recently partnered with several groups to provide face shields […]

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RHV 36: Opioid Mapping

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What data can be used to address the opioid crisis?  Michael Meit, Senior Fellow, co-director for N-O-R-C Wash Center for Rural Health Analysis joined me to discuss the Appalachian Overdose Mapping Tool and its follow up, the  National Opioid Misuse Community Assessment Tool That’s Michael Meit advocating for community based solutions to Substance Use Disorders.  […]

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RHV 35: COVID & Behavioral Health

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What happens to group therapy sessions in a time of social distancing?  Patricia Helton, Substance Abuse Counselor from Mount Rogers Community Services joined RHV to discuss how people are addressing behavioral health issues in this environment. Resources: Virginia Health Care Foundation’s Behavioral Health Hub Directory of Virginia’s Community Services Boards National Alliance on Mental Illness […]

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RHV 34: Mask Maker, Make Me a Mask!

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With everyone concerned about spreading COVID, when should you wear a mask?  Wendy Welch, Executive Director of the Southwest Virginia Graduate Medical Education Consortium discusses PPE – Personal Protective Equipment. Mask making instructions: 100 Million Mask Challenge How to extend the life of a N95: Directions If you have items to donate, contact: kcollins@vrha.org More […]

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RHV 33: COVID-19

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How do you separate COVID facts from COVID fiction?  Andrew Luskin, Epidemiologist for the Virginia Rural Health Association joined the Rural Health Voice to share information that will help you make good decisions. VRHA has a wide variety of resources for COVID-19 on our website.  Just go to vrha.org and click the buttons on the […]

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RHV #32: Autism Services, To Go!

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What’s 29 feet long and brings autism services to rural Virginia?  Angela Scarpa, Director of the Virginia Tech Autism Clinic & Center for Autism Research, and Jennifer Bertollo, a doctoral student clinician joined me to discuss the Mobile Autism Clinic. RHV No 32 – Autism Services, To Go! Aired 3-20-2020 (PDF)   […]

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RHV 30: Information Access

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Who receives higher quality healthcare information – rural or urban?  Megan Leimkuhler , UVA pre-medicine student and winner of the 2019 Rural Health Voice poster contest, joined RHV host Beth O’Connor to discuss how people access information about their health. View Ms. Leimkuhler’s winning entry. If you want to be part of the conversation about […]

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RHV 29: Broadband Expansion

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What is happening in Richmond to make sure Virginia’s rural communities have access to broadband?  Evan Feinman, the Governor’s Chief Broadband Advisor joined me to talk about what is being done and how you can help. If you want to promote broadband expansion in Virginia’s rural communities, here are actions you can take: Join the […]

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RHV 28: Rural Physicians

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What are the ups and downs of being a physician in a rural community?  Dr. Sandra Balmoria of the Eastern Shore Rural Health System joined me to discuss why she returned to the Eastern Shore after living and working in Northern Virginia.  She was the winner of the Virginia Rural Health Association Charles Crowder, Jr. […]

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RHV 27: Mobile Integrated Health

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What are rural ambulance services doing to reduce unnecessary visits to the emergency room?  Tim Perkins, CHaTR Division Manager, Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services reviews how Community Paramedicine/Mobile Integrated Healthcare can improve access. The Rural Health Voice will be taking a break to host our annual conference and enjoy the holidays; we will be […]

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RHV 26: Chronic Care Management

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How can Community Health Workers be used to improve Chronic Care Management?  Kenya Elliott, Community Care Coordinator, at Piedmont Access to Health Services and Amanda Young, Program Manager from the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research discuss how their program is helping people in their community maximize their health outcomes If you want to be […]

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RHV 25: Better Health through Better Education

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Can improved high school graduation rates lead to better health in a community?  Shani Gaylord and Jasmine Smith from the Virginia Department of Health’s Youth Health Equity Leadership Institute joined the Rural Health Voice to talk about how YHELI is improving health through helping students.  Shani and Jasmine will be session leaders at the Rural […]

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RHV 24: Community Health

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Can community organizations have a role in addressing health issues for a community?  Ashley Reynolds Marshall joined me to discuss how the YWCA of Central Virginia is doing exactly that. If you want to be part of the conversation, join Ashley and the other session leaders at the Rural Health Voice conference in November. […]

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RHV 23: What does “rural” mean?

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What comes to your mind when some one says “rural?”  What does “rural” mean to you?  Dr. Laura Hunt Trull, Social Worker and Assistant Professor at James Madison University shared her thoughts on the way we talk about rural and how we can change the narrative. You can hear more from Dr. Trull at the […]

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RHV 22: Cradle to Career

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What do communities need to attract employers? And what does that have to do with health?  Travis Staton, President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Southwest Virginia discusses their method of improving health in the region through a Cradle to Career approach. If you want to hear more from Travis and be part […]

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RHV 21: Workforce

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What help is available for someone who wants to be a healthcare provider in rural Virginia?  Olivette Burroughs, Health workforce specialist with the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Health Equity joined me to provide information on the variety of programs available. Olivette will be leading one of the nine interactive discussions on rural health […]

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RHV 20: National Policy

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Do lawmakers in DC want to hear from people at the local level?  Brock Slabach, Vice President of Member Services at the National Rural Health Association joined me to talk about effective ways to communicate with your member of Congress, get involved, break down silos, and work together to improve rural health. Brock will be the […]

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RHV 19: Rural Residency

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What happens after someone finishes medical school?  Dr. Maurice Nida, Designated Institutional Officer at Lonesome Pine Hospital Family Practice joined me to discuss how training in rural communities means learning to do more for your patients. If your hospital or clinic wants to recruit a physician that has been trained in Southwest Virginia, join Dr. […]

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RHV: 18 US Census

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What can you do to make sure tax dollars and other resources are allocated to your community?  Join my conversation with Dr. Carah Ong Whaley, Associate Director at the James Madison University Center for Civic Engagement.  Undercounted is underfunded, under represented, and under resourced.  The 2020 Census is your opportunity to make sure everyone counts! […]

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