How One State’s Legislative Roadmap Advocates for Strong Rural Healthcare

Rural Impact on the Road | A Special Rural Impact Extra Episode

Guests:
> Jared Chaffin, Chief Executive & Finance Officer, Friend Community Healthcare System
> Melissa Florell, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor & Nurse Educator
> Jed Hansen, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, Executive Director, Nebraska Rural Health Association
> Senator Teresa Ibach, District 44, Nebraska Unicameral Legislature
> Senator Mike Jacobson, District 42, Nebraska Unicameral Legislature
> Jeremy Nordquist, President, Nebraska Hospital Association

In this special Rural Impact on the Road episode, host Michelle Rathman traveled to Kearney, Nebraska, to join the Nebraska Rural Health Association and the Nebraska Hospital Association for their 2024 Nebraska Rural Health Conference to explore their Legislative Roadmap and learn how it advocates for strong rural healthcare.

The episode begins with Michelle moderating a panel discussing the Roadmap to Strong Rural Health Care with Jed Hansen, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, Executive Director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association, and Jeremy Nordquist, President of the Nebraska Hospital Association.

Taking a break from the panel, Michelle sat down with the CEO/CFO of Friend Community Healthcare System, Jared Chaffin, whose organization was the first in the state of Nebraska to convert from a Critical Access Hospital to a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH). Jared discusses the factors leading to the decision, impacts of converting to an REH, and policies that he believes are important for policymakers to reconsider concerning limitations on REH's admitting patients.

As the panel discussion continued, the conversation turned to policy, hearing from Senators Teresa Ibach and Mike Jacobson, each of them sharing critical factors and issues contributing to policies, the importance of advocacy and education in helping policymakers understand the challenges and issues in rural healthcare, and the policies that help to ensure rural Nebraskans thrive.

Michelle closes the episode with a discussion with Melissa Florell, PhD, RN, who teaches undergraduate nursing students about the importance of policy development and how it relates to healthcare. Melissa and Michelle discuss the importance of including policy in educating individuals pursuing a career in nursing and its impact on healthcare professionals entering the workforce.   

Download the Roadmap: https://www.nebraskahospitals.org/advocacy/roadmap-to-strong-rural-health-care.html