Hospice care is a somewhat misunderstood medical practice in this country.  People often think it’s all about dying, or the opposite- keeping a dying patient alive.  Neither of these perceptions are accurate.  In this episode, we are focusing on what hospice care entails by sitting down with the people who provide it – hospice nurses.

Rural areas have a higher need for hospice care as there are simply more people over the age of 65 living here.  The benefits of having hospice care available to a community are surprisingly large, even for the nurses who work there.  Hospice nurses learn to treat for quality of life rather than quantity of life and, therein, reevaluate their own healthcare directives.  They spend a good part of their practice educating and communing with families. They even experience mental and  spiritual growth in their own lives from performing these services.  And the remarkable events that take place around the time of a death have given many of these women a deeper sense of faith.

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The end of the season is almost here and we have one quick request.

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Women and girls in rural communities across the United States are being forever changed by substance misuse. Sadly, it’s a story with which many are becoming increasingly familiar. Why are women in rural places being incarcerated for substances at such high rates? What can communities do to intervene and help? What resources are available?

We explore these troublesome questions and find some equally troubling answers. We hear from a former substance misuser who shares a solution that helped change her life, and how her struggle with substances is a required background for her becoming a care provider to women currently trying to stay sober.  And we learn how her affliction has impacted other care providers in her community.

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This week we're sharing a previously released episode from our first season.

We hear from a woman that embarked on a journey to save and rehabilitate a historic Black hotel from demolition. This journey was life-changing for her as it coincided with the rehabilitation of her own body after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Betty Dobson shares with us what it took to save the Hotel Metropolitan in Paducah, Kentucky and how the mission of saving the hotel and all its history helped with emotional healing as well as her own physical wellness. 

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OB deserts are a plague that seems to be infecting more and more of the United States, in rural areas in particular.  If you’ve never heard of an OB desert, you’re not alone.  OB deserts are counties that lack any hospital or birth center with obstetric care or any obstetric providers.   The US leads among developed countries in maternal and infant mortality and morbidity and these deserts are a likely contributor.  Some might say this is due to a healthcare system that caters to those with money and means.  So how do we protect mothers who lack the resources to access maternal care?  Mothers who, because of the way they live, may be at higher risk already?

In this episode, we’re featuring an innovative new program out of rural Indiana, that has taken steps toward decreasing the maternal and infant mortality and morbidity in their county, which has been declared an OB desert.  And it’s all headed up by the fire department.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @middleofeverywherepod and on Twitter @rural_stories.  Learn more about us at middleofeverywherepod.org. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Legislation is taking effect across the country that restricts transgender kids and their parents regarding gender-affirming healthcare  How will these bills affect trans kids' long-term health?  While we can’t predict the outcomes for these kids, we can look to the people who lived most of their lives without gender-affirming care to understand the repercussions.  While access to trans-focused healthcare has increased in recent years, it is still very difficult for people to find, especially in rural areas.  The cause of those difficulties isn’t simply geographic;  stigma against gender-affirming care plagues rural areas in particular. 

In this episode, we’ll hear two personal stories. In one, we’ll journey through the long life of a woman who didn’t transition until age 65.  The high price of her gender-affirming care could never compare with the cost of living a lifetime in hiding.  Ultimately, securing gender-confirmation care became an act of survival, her choice to continue living.  We’ll also hear from a fourteen year old trans boy and his family who are being impacted by recent legislation in Kentucky and Tennessee.  How does the law shape the life of a child who never wanted to be in the public eye? 

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What do you know about the history of abortion in rural America? What about the women who relied on it?  Imagine reaching into the past and conjuring the spirit of a woman who lived this history. In this episode, we’ll hear writer, Tamara Dean, discuss her essay “Safer Than Childbirth”, in which she wrote about discovering the history of, and the many lives that relied on abortion.

In the process of researching for the essay, Tamara learned that legal abortion in America was more of a practice than a procedure.  Local flora offered women access to abortifacients–wisdom passed down by early indigenous peoples.  Less than two centuries ago, there had never been laws proposed in this country attempting to limit abortion. But, with the medicalization of childbirth, came proposals to ban abortion, state by state, eventually redefining abortion rights in America.

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We’re about to release the rest of our third season! We’re hearing from women near and far about how living in rural America affects their health. In this trailer, you’ll hear just a few of the voices of people who are invested in living and thriving in our rural areas. Look for our next episode to come out on March 22.  

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Host Ariel Lavery’s mail carrier is a cheerful, everyday woman who has walked roads less traveled when it comes to her reproductive journey.  From her son’s disabilities, to becoming a surrogate, to choosing to sterilize herself, her experience with the U.S. healthcare system has been diverse and frustrating.  Yet, her outlook on solutions to issues she has faced may surprise you.  

In this episode, we hear from Sam and her conservative husband Brian on their perceptions of the U.S. healthcare system and how well the system serves its rural patients.  As a couple they represent two states with opposite political sway.  But their belief in women’s rights to access care doesn’t fit neatly within a color coded border. 

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @middleofeverywherepod and on Twitter @rural_stories.  Learn more about us at middleofeverywherepod.org. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Here’s a sneak peek of the first episode of Season 3, dropping Wednesday Feb 1st! Focusing on women’s healthcare in rural communities this season, we open with the story of an everyday woman who’s had a noteworthy reproductive journey.  

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @middleofeverywherepod and on Twitter @rural_stories.  Learn more about us at middleofeverywherepod.org. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.