2024 Rural Health Voice Conference

November 19-20
SWVA Higher Education Center
Abingdon, VA

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 stakeholders 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.

2024 Speakers

Legislative Initiatives from the
Select Committee on Rural Health Care

Delegate Rod Willett
58th House District
Delegate Rodney Willett was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2019, representing the 58th House District in western Henrico County, and re-elected in 2021 and 2023. He chairs the Compensation & Retirement Subcommittee, the Behavioral Health Subcommittee, and the Joint Commission on Health Care. Rodney also leads the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority and the House Select Committee on Advancing Rural & Small Town Health Care. His committee memberships include the Agriculture, Chesapeake Bay, and Natural Resources Committee. Rodney has been instrumental in passing legislation on healthcare access, early childhood education, mental health, environmental protection, voting rights, and gun violence prevention.

A View from the Hill

Zil Joyce Dixon Romero
Zil Joyce Dixon Romero is the State Government Affairs Manager at the National Rural Health Association. In this role, he analyzes state-level rural health trends, identifies model legislation, and implements strategic approaches to interact with state government officials and stakeholders. He previously participated in the Obama Foundation’s 2023 LeadersUSA program and has interned on Capitol Hill for several Members of Congress. He is particularly passionate about rural oral health, health equity, and finding pragmatic solutions through evidence based best practices.

Maternal Health

Lauren Kozlowski, MSW, MPH
Lauren KozlowskI is currently serving as the Maternal and Infant Health Consultant at the Virginia Department of Health. Her current role involves working closely with a variety of teams on legislation, programs, and policies impacting pregnant and breastfeeding individuals and families. Prior to that, she worked at the Center for Maternal Substance Abuse and Child Development at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. While there, she focused on maternal substance use prevention and counseling both the public and providers on a variety of perinatal exposures. She is currently serving as the Treasurer for the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists and has also take a birth and postpartum doula training.

Workforce: Beyond Doctors

Jenny Bolte
Jenny Bolte has been in Workforce Development for over 25 years and is currently serving as the Deputy Director of the New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Board where she focuses on executing the board’s mission by developing innovative programming to help people with barriers to employment secure employment with family sustaining wages as well as helping businesses get skilled workers. Jenny works closely with partners to implement projects to foster collective impact. To that end, Jenny has been instrumental in securing a number of federal and state grants that support training and system-building activities.

Substance Use Disorders and Maternal Health

Ariel Johnson, MSW, QMHP-A
Ariel Johnson has spent the last decade serving people from marginalized and underserved communities, including those with developmental disabilities, mental illnesses, and substance use disorder and people impacted by sexual and domestic violence and homelessness. As Director of Patient Navigation within Virginia Harm Reduction Coalition (VHRC), Ariel provides case management and advocacy for people impacted by SUD as well as overseeing VHRC’s patient navigation services. Ariel serves on the board of Peer Recovery Connection, as director of the Martinsville and Henry County Warming Center, Mid Atlantic Regional Consultant with NASTAD, as outreach, services, and programs coordinator of the West Piedmont Better Housing Coalition and CoC executive committee, and on several other boards to advocate for marginalized people throughout rural Southwest Virginia.

Breakout Sessions:

The Syndemic of SUD/HIV/HCV

Lee Storrow
Senior Director of External Affairs
Community Education Group

Rural Midwives

Kathryn Haines
Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Kathryn Haines is the Health Equity Manager for the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. Her passion to build a just society led her to obtain a master’s degree in urban planning and policy after serving in the Peace Corps. After the birth of her first child over two decades ago, Kathryn became a doula and later, a Certified Professional Midwife, and lobbied in three states to increase access to midwives. Rural roots on her mom’s side inspired her to practice as a rural midwife in West Virginia where she experienced first-hand the benefits and barriers to sustainable rural midwifery. After serving a four-year term as an elected School Board Member during the pandemic, Kathryn has returned to lobbying to support midwives and community centered equitable maternal care for all as a leader of the PUSH Coalition.

Melissa Oretade

Melissa has spent her career advocating for those who are unable to speak for themselves. She has worked mainly in Tier 1 schools, serving as both a first and second-grade teacher as well as a reading specialist, and currently works as a Dyslexia Specialist tutor. Melissa holds a Bachelor’s in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, a Master’s in Elementary Education, a Sixth Year in Reading and Language Arts, and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at Liberty University. After Melissa had her first three children traditionally, her youngest child was delivered by a midwife. Considering the positive experience, it troubled Melissa about the misinformation surrounding midwifery, and began to recognize the lack of options women receive during their pregnancy. Today, Melissa aims to help as many people as possible learn of all their options, including their choices in midwifery care.

Katie Page

Katie has been a certified nurse-midwife since 2009 and has worked in Lynchburg, VA since 2013. In 2021, her services expanded to Farmville at Centra Southside Hospital where she helped establish a hospitalist midwifery service to maintain access to maternity care in the rural community. Katie is very interested in the way we care for people during pregnancy, labor and birth and how we can better support physiologic birth and person-centered care in hospital settings. She is a PhD graduate student at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus where she researches implementation of midwifery-led service models in US hospitals to improve care quality, reduce healthcare costs, and reduce healthcare disparities.

Addressing Overdose in Real Time

Pamela Chitwood
Virginia Department of Health

Pamela Chitwood serves as Health Equity Specialist for the West Piedmont District and mediator for the Henry/Martinsville Equity Collaborative. She is an employee of the Virginia Department of Health where she also serves as the Population Health Community Coordinator. Pamela received recognition from the Virginia Rural Health Association in 2023 by receiving the Charlie Chowder Jr. Individual Excellence for Rural Health in Virginia. Her work has also received recognition at NACCHO and APHA for model practices. Pamela is a Virginia-certified Community Health Worker, holds credentials for motivational interviewing, and is a master trainer for Bridges Out of Poverty. She works with partners and obtains grants, all to maximize the efforts of prevention, treatment, and adoption of harm reduction strategies for all ages in the district she serves

Doulas

Roshay Richardson
Virginia Rural Health Association

Roshay, known as the SolFlower, is a passionate birthworker with autism, channeling her special interest in maternal health. As a community ambassador, doula, Lamaze International certified childbirth educator, and lead chair of the Maternal Health Taskforce for The Health Collaborative, she tirelessly advocates for the well-being of mothers & their families. Beyond her roles, she is a devoted mom, wife & friend. Created to create, Roshay finds solace and expression in many art forms with writing being her absolute favorite, weaving words to capture the beauty and complexity of life.

Residential Treatment for Women

Linda Austin
Appalachian Substance Abuse Coalition

Linda served as a paralegal and law firm administrator over her 35-year legal career before going back in 2012 to earn a Human Services degree as well as a certification as a Human Services Advocate. She is the executive director of the Appalachian Substance Abuse Coalition in far Southwest Virginia, which has grown more than 1,300% over the last 7 years, and has 10 community prevention and faith-based coalitions under its umbrella. Linda also directs Hands and Feet Ministries, a jail and prison ministry, which she founded in 2008; and Trail Days Ministry, a seasonal ministry to hikers on the Appalachian Trail which she founded in 2001. The two ministries combined have more than 300 volunteers.

Maternal Health

Sandra V. Serna, MPH
VDH Office of Health Equity

Sandra V. Serna is a public health professional with over 16 years of experience working with local, regional, state, and national leaders across a variety of sectors to ensure all communities can become healthier places to live, learn, work, and play. Ms. Serna currently leads the Office of Health Equity (OHE) at the Virginia Department of Health, where she oversees the Divisions of Primary Care & Rural Health, Social Epidemiology, and Multicultural Health & Community Engagement. VDH’s nationally recognized Healthcare Workforce Incentive Unit and Partners in Prayers & Prevention Program are also within OHE. Prior to joining VDH, Ms. Serna was Vice President of Health & Housing at Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future, where she served as the subject matter expert on leveraging health and housing partnerships to address the social determinants of health; the connection between resident voice and agency and improved health and community outcomes; and the benefits of trauma-informed and healthy building design.

Peer Recovery Specialists

Meagan Helmick, PhD, MPH, CHES®
VDH Mount Rogers Health District

Dr. Helmick currently serves as the health director for the Mount Rogers Health District. Dr. Helmick has worked in public health for the last 13 years. Previously she served as the deputy regional epidemiologist for the southwest region within VDH, as well as an assistant professor of Public Health at Radford University Carilion and as an adjunct professor for the public health program at Old Dominion University.

Workforce: Beyond Doctors

Meagan Arthur, DNP, RN, FNP-BC
Assistant Professor
Radford University College of Nursing

Dr. Sallie Beth Johnson
Chair, Department of Public Health & Healthcare Leadership/Associate Professor/Program Director
Radford University Waldron College of Health and Human Services

Carey Peerman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Healthcare Administration
Radford University Waldron College of Health and Human Services

Christi Callahan, DNP, RN, PPCNP-BC
Associate Dean
Radford University College of Nursing

faculty headshot

James E. Florence, DrPH, MPH, MATS, RMCHES
Professor and Dean, Department of Public Health

Agenda

Tuesday, November 19th

8:00 – Breakfast/Check-in
8:30 – Welcome
Delegate Israel O’Quinn, Deputy Leader, Virginia House of Delegates
9:00 – Maternal Health
Lauren Kozlowski, MSW, MPH, Maternal & Infant Health Consultant, Virginia Department of Health
10:00 – Healthcare Workforce: Beyond Doctors & Nurses
Jenny Bolte, Deputy Director, New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Board
11:00 – Break
11:15 – Breakout Sessions
12:30 – Awards Luncheon
2:00 – Breakout Sessions
3:30 – Breakout Sessions
5:00 – Student Poster Competition

Wednesday, November 20th

8:00 – Breakfast
8:45 – Student Essay Reading (Ginger Richardson, UVA)
9:00 – Legislative Initiatives from the Select Committee on Rural Health Care
Delegate Rod Willett, 58th House District
9:45 – Substance Use Disorder & Maternal Health
Ariel Johnson, MSW, QMHP-A, Director of Patient Navigation, Virginia Harm Reduction Coalition
10:45-12:00 – A View from the Hill
Zil Joyce Dixon Romero, State Government Affairs Manager, National Rural Health Association

Hotel Information

Holiday Inn Express & Suites: Abingdon
130 Cook Street
Abingdon, Virginia 24210

Reservation Link

Registration

Event registration fees include 2025 VRHA membership dues.
(Individual memberships only, does not apply for organizational memberships)

VRHA Members – $275
- Discount Code available in the VRHA Weekly Update e-newsletter
Non-Member Rate – $330
Students – $95 Both Days
- 11/19 Only: $75.00
- 11/20 Only: $30.00

Reduced rate for one-day attendance is only available to students.

Register Here

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CANCELLATIONS/REFUND POLICY:

For cancellations received by The Virginia Rural Health Association at least 30 days prior to a conference or seminar, a full refund, less a 30% processing fee, will be provided to the registrant.
For cancellations received less than 30 days prior to a conference or seminar, a credit towards attendance at a future conference or seminar will be provided.
No refunds or credits will be provided for no-shows and cancellation notifications received after the conference or seminar is held.

Student Essay Contest – “Why Rural?”

VRHA is inviting students who are in any health or public policy program to submit essays on why they want to serve rural communities. Three essays will be selected to receive free conference registration.

The author of the winning essay will have the honor of reading the essay at the conference, plus 2 complimentary nights at the hotel and a $500 cash prize!

SUBMISSION DEADLINE HAS NOW PASSED.

Student Poster Presentations

VRHA is now accepting applications for Poster Presentations from health and public policy students at the conference. A maximum of 15 applications will be approved for presentation.

Prizes:

First Place: $500
Second Place: $250
Third Place: $100

The Poster Presentations provide participants with the ideal opportunity to disseminate information to other rural health stakeholders. Poster Presentations may include research projects, case studies, clinical evaluations, case presentations, observations, unusual or uncommon situations and other topics as they relate to rural health. All types of health professions and public policy students are encouraged to submit applications for consideration. Posters co-authored by professionals are acceptable as long as the student is the lead author and presenter

All posters must have a Virginia perspective: either submitted by a student from Virginia, or by a student attending a Virginia school, or a poster topic on a Virginia issue. Entries with no relation to Virginia will not be considered.

Submission information and general instructions:

Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed by the planning committee.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE HAS NOW PASSED.
Presenters may not use posters to market products or services; exhibit space is available for that purpose.
No honoraria or travel expense reimbursement will be provided.
The presenter is responsible for having the poster printed and bringing a display easel to the event.

Categories & Judging:

Presentations will be reviewed and judged by the following criteria –

Rural relevance (30 points)
Presenter – enthusiastic, professional, well-prepared (20 points)
Interpretation of data (10 points)
Abstract or summary of findings (10 points)
Proper reference/citations (10 points)
Background & Rationale (10 points)
General overview/layout of the poster (10 points)

2024 VRHA Awards

All Virginia Rural Health Association members and member organizations are invited to submit nominations for the 2024 Virginia Rural Health Association Awards. Nominees are not required to be members of the association. Commitment and service to the advancement of rural health in Virginia may be in the form of direct provision of health care services, governmental or educational advocacy, activities or research that improves the health of communities or populations.

Awardees Categories:

Lawmaker of the Year – Lawmaker of the Year is designed to give special recognition to an elected official at any level who has demonstrated support for improving health in rural Virginia.

The Charles Crowder, Jr. Award – This award is given annually by the Virginia Rural Health Association to recognize outstanding individual commitment and service to the advancement of rural health in Virginia.

The Best Practices in Rural Health Award – This award is given annually by the Virginia Rural Health Association to recognize a program or institution that exemplifies commitment and service to the advancement of rural health in Virginia.

The Ken Studer Friend of the Association Award – This award is given to recognize a program, institution or individual that has advocated for or aided the Association in support of the Association’s mission.

Nomination Deadline Has Now Passed.

Read about our past honorees here.

Sponsor/Exhibitor Information

The Rural Health Voice Conference creates unique networking opportunities and a forum to discuss how we can strengthen the healthcare safety net through collaboration, share best practices and best utilize community resources. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Target Audience:
The conference is attended by approximately 100-125 people, which includes facility executives, academic faculty, clinic staff, government officials, health professions students and more.

Sponsor Packet 2024