Past Events
Rural Healthcare Panel
October 2011
On the evening of Tuesday, October 4, 2011, the Blackburn Institute held a panel discussion on the topic of rural healthcare. The esteemed panelists included: Dr. Chelley Alexander, Associate Professor and Chair in the UA Department of Family Medicine; Dr. Tony Roberson, Associate Professor and Director of Practice & Community Partnerships at UA’s Capstone College of Nursing; and Dr. Jeanette VanderMeer, RN Mobility Coordinator at UA’s Capstone College of Nursing. Each of the panelists discussed rural health care from their own professional perspectives, and afterwards students were able to pose questions.
The discussion began around ways in which rural healthcare differs from traditional care, and the unique challenges posed by rural care to nurses and doctors. We soon realized the difficulty sometimes involved in defining “rural,” but generally acknowledged that what makes a particular area rural in the medical sense is its distance from a hospital or health center. We discussed underlying traits common to many of Alabama’s rural areas: low levels of income and education, an older population, poor personal health practices, and higher than average unemployment. The difficulty in providing care to these areas was an articulated concern among listerners. To those living in rural areas, healthcare is often unaffordable, or not a priority.
The discussion then turned to the roles of various health professionals in providing care to rural areas. We specifically honed in on the important role nurse practitioners play in administering rural care. Nurse practitioners, while highly skilled, are mandated to work under the umbrella of a medical doctor in Alabama. While an incredible instrument in providing care to underserved areas, Alabama is highly restrictive in the flexibility it grants nurse practitioners with respect to administering care. Nevertheless, nurse practitioners often assist in the operation and administration of rural health clinics and, where clinics do not exist, these professionals often deliver health care to individual homes.
In preparation for our upcoming travel experience to Parrish, AL, we concluded by discussing the formation and maintenance of rural health clinics in Alabama. As it is in Parrish, these clinics are often publically funded, either by the state or federal government directly or through a major university. The Parrish Clinic, created under the auspices of The University of Alabama, is administered by a board. The board consists not only of healthcare professionals, but also of Parrish locals and patients of the clinic who have taken a major stake in the clinic’s continued existence.
Rural healthcare poses many difficult challenges. As Blackburn students, we look forward to seeing rural healthcare up-close in Parrish and learning as much as we can, so that we can do our part in moving Alabama forward.
-Evan Ward
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