This week we are celebrating Rural Health Leadership Radio™’s 2-year anniversary! Yes! Rural Health Leadership Radio™ is two years old!
To celebrate, we are going to review the “Top 10” most listened to episodes, with a “Top 10 Count Down.”
We also have a few special announcements!
Announcement #1: Rural Health Leadership Radio™’s mission is to engage rural health leaders in conversations, learning and research. To achieve our mission, Rural Health Leadership Radio™ has become a non-profit organization, and just recently, achieved 501(c) (3) status! A great accomplishment that will greatly assist us in achieving our mission!
Announcement #2: Rural Health Leadership Radio™ has just published a book! What Rural Health Leaders are Saying is a summary of the inaugural year of Rural Health Leadership Radio™, filled with a collection of ideas and best practices from exceptional rural health leaders FOR rural health leaders. Guests include Alan Morgan, R.D. Williams, Brock Slabach, Kris Allen, Steve Barnett and many, many more! Proceeds from book sales will all go directly to Rural Health Leadership Radio™ to help us fulfill our mission.
Announcement #3: Rural Health Leadership Radio™ is headed to Australia! Will you come join us? In Episode # 97, we had a conversation with Mark Diamond, the CEO of the National Rural Health Alliance of Australia, and he invited all Rural Health Leadership Radio™ listeners to come join them for their bi-annual conference in March 2019. So, we’re going! In fact, with Mark’s assistance, we are putting together Rural Health Leadership Study Tour AUSRALIA. This 2-week trip to the land down under includes several visits to rural hospitals and clinics, two conferences, and along the way, we’ll do some sight-seeing. If you are at all interested, please send me an email today to bill@billauxier.com. The trip is the last half of March, and space is limited, so be one of the first to confirm so you won’t be left out.
This week we’re having a conversation with Jenna Bernson, a medical student at Michigan State University. Jenna attended Grand Valley State University’s Frederic Meijer Honors College and obtained her Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Science with minors in Chemistry and Music.
“The U.P. has three times the rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome than any other region in Michigan and almost five times that of Detroit.”
Jenna is currently a 3rd year medical student at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine. She hopes to pursue a career in psychiatry.
Being that she is from a rural community, her passion for rural medicine as well as psychiatry have driven her research interests. Currently, she is involved in research and quality improvement projects with hopes to improve access to psychiatric care in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
This week we’re having a conversation with Kate Hill, Vice President of Clinical Services with The Compliance Team.
“Our motto is actually safety, honesty and caring.”
Kate Hill, RN, is a graduate of Albert Einstein Medical Center School of Nursing in Philadelphia, PA. As an Army Nurse, Kate served in Viet Nam (27th Surgical Hospital in Chu Lai) where she was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service. Kate has worked with orthopedic patients in several capacities including Head Nurse of Orthopedics in Newark, NJ., followed by Biomet working in various capacities.
Kate joined The Compliance Team (TCT) in early 2012 to direct TCT’s rural health clinic accreditation program and has fallen in love with Rural. As VP of Clinical Services, she has spearheaded the TCT Rural Health Clinic Accreditation program combining her clinical expertise, business acumen and passion for delivery of the best care possible to every patient. She presently serves on the Board of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics. Kate also works with clinics in TCT’s PCMH program and is ensuring that a PCMH accreditation is being increasingly rewarded by payers.
Kate lives in suburban Philadelphia with her husband and near her three granddaughters. She’s happy to share photos anytime.
John Gardner, CEO of the Telluride Regional Medical Center (TRMC) in Telluride, CO. John joined TRMC as its Chief Executive Officer in June 2016 is this week's guest.
“How do we protect the viability of the organization, be responsive to the needs of the community and try to be good stewards of health care dollars?”
Prior to joining TRMC, John served as the CEO at Yuma District Hospital and Clinics, located in Yuma. Previously, he has been a member of the management and executive teams of P/SL Healthcare in Denver, Sentara Health System in Norfolk, Virginia, Rocky Mountain Adventist Health System in Denver, Colorado, Centura Health System, North Valley Hospital in Thornton, and Good Samaritan Health Systems in Kearney, Nebraska.
Mr. Gardner has served in a variety of community and professional organizations. He currently serves on the Boards of the Center for Health Progress, the Colorado Rural Health Center and the Tri-County Health Network.
Katie Peterson, Chief Nursing Officer at Pender Community Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital in Pender, Nebraska, joins us this week.
“Our nursing staff is mostly millennials, so short staffing comes from having multiple nurses on maternity leave at the same time, not open positions.”
In addition to sitting on the senior executive team and providing nursing leadership, Katie also provides oversight to imaging, laboratory, pharmacy, behavioral health and quality.
Katie has empowered her teams to improve quality and expand services in all areas. During Katie's time at Pender, the hospital has won numerous national awards in quality and patient satisfaction.
Katie is a registered nurse with a Bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.