In this powerful episode of Just Say Hay: The Podcast, Jon sits down with family nurse practitioner Leslie Ferrell to talk about the real challenges facing rural healthcare today — from hospital closures and low Medicaid reimbursements to the nursing shortage and tele-health struggles.

Leslie, a long-respected healthcare provider in Southern Illinois, shares her insights from decades on the front lines. Together, they discuss what makes rural healthcare so hard to sustain, how community members can help, and why access to care is becoming a luxury in small towns across America.

🔹 Why are so many rural hospitals shutting down?

🔹 How do insurance reimbursements impact your local clinic?

🔹 What’s the future of telehealth in underserved areas?

🔹 Can we bring back house calls and community-based care?

🔹 Why mental health still carries a stigma in farming communities

👉 Don’t miss this heartfelt conversation about the real people keeping rural America healthy — and the uphill battle they face every day.

#ruralhealthcare #smallfarms #nursing #ruralamerica #mentalhealth #justsayhay

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