Rural Matters

This special episode (Part 2) continues a panel discussion at the first-ever Rural Women’s Summit, presented by the National Rural Assembly, which was moderated by Michelle. The discussion was focused on Women Leading Interfaith Movements in Rural America.   The panelists included Rev. Dr. Robin Dease from the United Methodist Church, in the Hartsville, South Carolina Conference; Rev. Jen Bailey from Faith Matters/People’s Supper; and Okolo Rashid from the International Museum of Muslim Cultures. To deal with economic disparities, Rashid asserts, it’s important for residents to be empowered to deal with those inequities on their own. Bailey cites a group called Nuns and Nones, an alliance of spiritually diverse millennials, Catholic sisters, and key local partners who leverage local resources to create a more just, equitable, and loving world. On the topic of improving the health of their local communities, Dease notes that, in her district, there’s a concept called God’s Acres, in which farmers devote one acre of their land to provide healthy food for free to community members in need. Be sure to also listen to Part 1of this Special Episode #1 of Rural Matters.

In this final segment of our four-part, in-depth series.  “Rural Communities: Conquering Challenges, Optimizing Opportunities,” produced in association with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle talks to three major thought leaders about pressing challenges and the future of living in rural America: Tom Morris, the Associate Administrator for Rural Health Policy in HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), who oversees the work of the Office of Rural Health Policy; Dr. Allen Pratt, Executive Director of the National Rural Education Association (NREA); and Whitney Kimball Coe, the director of National Programs at the Center for Rural Strategies, where she leads the Rural Assembly, a nationwide movement striving to build better policy and more opportunity for rural communities.

The three big challenges in rural education today are teacher shortages, broadband and connectivity, and access to jobs in rural regions, according to Pratt. He notes Montana is trying to make it easier for potential teachers from rural areas to get licensed. Morris says that if you train people in rural areas, it’s more likely that they’ll stay in rural communities, noting that his office funded 27 new rural residency planning grants this year. Through its grant authority. Morris’s office engage in outreach in rural communities, such as it recent four-year pilot on obstetric services, which links the major stakeholders in this area. As far as success stories are concerned, Pratt cites a coding program in Montana, a wildlife initiative outside of Buffalo, NY, and scholarship to teacher aides in Arizona, while Morris mention what rural communities in Missouri and Maine are doing to combat COPD and projects in rural areas in Washington and Kentucky that are improving the population’s health status. Coe discussed the takeaways from the recent Rural Women’s Summit in Greenville, NC, including the leadership roles played by women in creating healthier rural communities (with or without the leadership titles) and the fact they should be better supported and the level of optimism that was bursting at the seams at the conference and how that could lead to changing of the narrative on rural communities. Finally, Coe cited the influence of the nonpartisan Vote, Run, Lead, which held a workshop at the Summit for women considering running for public office. This episode and the entire four-part series was sponsored and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, rwjf.org.

This special episode (Part 1) involves a panel discussion at the first-ever Rural Women's Summit, presented by the National Rural Assembly, which was moderated by Michelle. The discussion was focused on Women Leading Interfaith Movements in Rural America.

The panelists include Rev. Dr. Robin Dease from the United Methodist Church in Hartsville, South Carolina Conference; Rev, Jen Bailey from Faith Matters/People's Supper; and Okolo Rashid from the International Museum of Muslim Cultures.

Mental health issues are extremely important in rural communities, according to Dease, and it's interfaith dialogues that are often essential in dealing with that complex topic. Rashid notes that in Muslim religion, there is the concept of one original faith, but it is not dependent on religion per se, but something that is found in all human beings - the sharing of a shared humanity. Bailey points out that spiritual care is more significant than ever today because of the increasingly violence and polarization in our society. In general, Bailey asks, what does it mean for people of faith to stand strong in the face of the increasing conflict between the existing power structure and those who are not as privileged or not part of the majority? Stay tuned in the next couple of weeks to hear Part 2 of this Special Episode#1 of Rural Matters.

In this third of our four-part series. “Rural Communities: Conquering Challenges, Optimizing Opportunities,” produced in association with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle discusses rural economics and business with Janet Topolsky, who directs the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, specializing in connecting low-wealth rural and urban places and populations to regional economic development; Ines Polonius. CEO of Communities Unlimited, Inc., a CDFI and community economic development organization in the rural South; and David Erickson, senior vice president and head of Outreach and Education at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Polonius works with leadership teams in rural communities, concentrating on water systems and entrepreneurial development, while collaborating with management consultants. Both Aspen and Communities Unlimited, the guest note, focus on wealth creation by looking at the social, cultural, and economic resources that already exist or could be filled locally to develop the economy, as opposed to building from the outside. There has actually been modest population growth in the rural sector, with persons of color responsible for much of that expansion, Topolsky points out. It’s also important, says Polonius, to recognize the explosion of the gig economy, in those from rural communities who return home to pursue freelance opportunities online. Her group also supports black-owned farms in expanding the distribution of healthy local food. In Minnesota, notes Topolsky, community foundations have looked at local businesses and started to do business lending to meet gaps, such as new technologies, putting together sustaining partnerships to grow manufacturing.

Polonius says it’s often more beneficial to offer local entrepreneurs several micro loans rather than one large loan. Erickson says, in his personal opinion, there are three types of rural communities: those relatively thriving, such as vacation destinations; those struggling because of their distance from more prosperous markets; and those that chronically struggle with poverty and other issues. The New York Federal Reserve encourages banks to invest in rural areas and also acts as a facilitator, curating possible economic growth by bringing together stakeholders. Thought its market connection program, the NY Fed plays a “matchmaker” role, as it will in an upcoming meeting in Puerto Rico. This episode is sponsored by Thomas USAF, which on December 4 is sponsoring the 20th Annual National Rural Lenders Roundtable in Washington, DC, www.nrlrt.com. This episode and the entire four-part series is sponsored and supported by the +Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, rwjf.org.

In this second in our four-part series, Rural Communities: Conquering Challenges, Optimizing Opportunities, in partnership with and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle chats with Nancy Dickey and David Lipsetz.  Dickey spent almost a dozen years as president of the Texas A&M Health Science Center and vice chancellor for health affairs for The Texas A&M University System and currently serves in several academic and administrative roles at the College of Medicine and as executive director of the Rural and Community Health Institute. She also is part of the leadership team at the Center for Optimizing Rural Health, which was created last year with funding provided through the Vulnerable Rural Hospitals Assistance Program. Lipsetz is Chief Executive Officer at the Housing Assistance Council, a national nonprofit that has been helping rural America address poverty and hardship since 1971. Less than 7 percent of the philanthropic work conducted in the United States is done in rural America, notes Lipsetz, and less than 6 percent of mortgage deductions were filed by residents in rural communities. Lipsetz invites listeners to get in touch with his organization to talk about how to link the potential capacity of high-quality housing in rural and small towns offered by his organization with recruitment of providers that needs to be done by hospitals. Dickey notes that, in certain communities, hospitals have become “landlords” for intermediate housing because they’re forced to, in order to attract providers. In addition, Dickey says, sometimes hospitals arrange for apartment sharing among providers and also to provide tertiary care through telehealth services. Lipsetz notes that poverty clearly is a social determinant for quality of care since it limits access for rural patients, leading to unacceptable infant mortality and increased morbidity rates. This episode was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, www.rwjf.org and Thomas USAF, which on December 4 is sponsoring the 20th Annual National Rural Lenders Roundtable in Washington, D.C, www.nrlrt.com.

In this kickoff to Rural Matters’ first in-depth, four-part series, Rural Communities: Conquering Challenges, Optimizing Opportunities, Michelle and three guests take a deep dive on what it’s like — and what it could be like in the future — to live in Rural America, exploring the recent findings of a survey conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard University School of Public Health. The three guests are Dr. Robert J. Blendon, Richard L. Menschel Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Policy Translation and Leadership Development at the Harvard School of Public Health who serves as co-director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health project on understanding Americans' Health Agenda; Ed Sivak, Chief Policy and Communications Officer for Hope Enterprise Corporation/ Hope Credit Union (HOPE); and Luke Shaefer, University of Michigan Professor of Social Work in the School of Social Work and Professor of Public Policy in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy; and Director of Poverty Solutions. The majority of those living in rural America are optimistic about the future, but many others are concerned about their economic future and, in particular, the opioid crisis, according to Blendon. The survey results show that about half in rural America say they could not pay a “surprise” bill of $1,000. In addition, Blendon notes, rural residents say they need outside help to deal with many of their problems, including that their health insurance coverage doesn’t enable them to seek certain local providers. In addition, he notes, one in five rural residents has difficulty getting Internet coverage, which creates all sorts of barriers, including in terms of health care. Sivak notes that in 9 out of 10 persistent poverty countries, many of them in the rural areas, the unemployment rate exceeds the national average. Access to a financial institution, such as Hope, really matters, he concludes. Shaefer points out that rural communities are disproportionately represented among the 100 most vulnerable communities in the United States. The bottom line, according to the guests, is that life in rural America today is indeed challenging for many residents and that outside help is needed, but because of volunteer efforts, local “superheroes,” and innovative solutions that hopefully can be sustaining, there are realistic opportunities to address the problems. This episode — and the entire four-part series — is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, RWJF.org, @rwjf. This episode also was sponsored by Thomas USAF, who is sponsoring the 20th Annual National Rural Lenders Roundtable in Washington, DC on December 4, www.nrlrt.com.

Michelle chats with Thomas Kimsey, president & CEO of Thomas USAF Group, LLC. Kimsey manages and oversees more than $100 million in loan origination and underwriting annually. Big bank lenders often do not play in the rural space, Kimsey notes, so this is where the USDA Rural Development Loan Program, and its Community Facility Program, come in, through its direct and guaranteed loans. Last year, this program loaned almost $3 billion to provide and rebuild rural infrastructure. Thomas USAF has participated in many Community Facility projects, such as medical offices at a rural hospital in Nevada and a 10-bed geri-psych facility in rural Georgia.  Were it not for the Community Facility Program, this funding might not have been readily available, according to Kimsey. The Community Facility Program also can assist in efforts surrounding public safety and municipal buildings. These projects often originate through state rural development offices, he notes, with a pre-application to USDA, which would include what nonprofit is participating in the project. Finally, Kimsey notes, USDA also can assist in debt refinancing. This episode was sponsored by Thomas USAF, which on December 4 is sponsoring the 20th Annual National Rural Lenders Roundtable in Washington, D.C, www.nrlrt.com; by Rural Assembly, ruralassembly.org; and by FTW Robotics, www.ftw-robotics.com.

Michelle chats with Katrina Badger, program officer with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, about the work of the foundation to build a culture of health and her particular focus on creating the community conditions that foster improved health. Badger discusses a poll that was released at the recent Life in Rural America symposium, which was a collaboration among the Foundation, NPR, and Harvard, that focused on rural issues. Just organizing the event was a learning experience, Badger notes. One of the takeaways of the symposium, she says, was that Rural America is not a monolithic space but a diverse one. Many rural communities have won the Culture of Health prize, Badger points out. Another key point: Economic opportunity is critical for success for rural residents and communities. Yet another insight: Innovation knows no area code. Badger notes that a key question that must be asked is how can we build power for rural communities to implement what are known to be successful policies. And a final takeaway: Equity conversation, whether racial or economic or some other kind of equity, is equally critical in the rural context. This episode was sponsored by For the Win Robotics, www.ftw-robotics.com; REC Foundation, www.roboticseducation.org;  and the Rural Assembly, https://ruralassembly.org

For more on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation symposium, visit www.rwjf.org/ruralhealth

Michelle chats with Jonathan Rodden, professor of political science and senior fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Rodden is also the founder and director of the Spatial Social Science Lab and author of a new book, Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide.  Geography matters in the United States, Rodden says, because we’re divided into electoral districts, which can be a good thing but has a downside in being a major determinant in who wins an election. The rural vote will be critical in the 2020 election, but economics will not be the only determinant as social issues, such as abortion, gun rights, race, and immigration, will also play a part, according to both Michelle and Jonathan. The Democratic presidential primary battle revolves basically around urban voters, but after winning the primary, there is more incentive for the nominee to focus on rural voters, he notes.  Even if an independent commission decided district boundaries, he says, it wouldn’t necessarily prevent the continuation of the urban-rural divide. Gerrymandering does add to the problem, Rodden asserts. The bottom line: Yes, geography does matter when it comes to public policy. This episode was sponsored by Bryan Telemedicine, https://www.bryanhealth.com/services/telemedicine/; REC Foundation, roboticseducation.org; For the Win Robotics, frw-robotic.com; and the Rural Assembly, ruralassembly.org.     

Michelle chats with two very important advocates in the rural space: Whitney Kimball Coe, coordinator of the National Rural Assembly, a rural movement comprised of activities and partnerships geared toward building better policy and more opportunity across the country; (the Rural Assembly is part of Rural Strategies, which also includes Daily Yonder, a definite go-to read for anyone interested in rural matters); and Edyael Del Carmen Casaperalta, Fellow at the American Indian Law Program at the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder, where she researches and writes about federal Indian law, international human rights, indigenous peoples’ rights, and telecommunications and technology. Coe has established a focus on building civic courage in communities and is directly tied to a practice of participation in her hometown of Athens, TN. Del Carmen Casaperalta is a budding attorney dedicated to serving indigenous peoples and poor communities in telecommunications and technology law matters. The National Rural Assembly is holding its first Rural Women’s Summit Oct. 28-29 in Greenville SC. The Summit will begin with a panel comprising women journalists and will include sessions covering running for public office, curating your own story, gender, identity, and power. Rural Matters will be recording a podcast live from the Summit, #ruralwomenlead. For more information, visit ruralassembly.org. This episode was sponsored by Bryan Telemedicine, https://www.bryanhealth.com/services/telemedicine/; Phynd, www.phynd.com; REC Foundation, roboticseducation.org; For the Win Robotics, frw-robotic.com; and the Rural Assembly, ruralassembly.org.