On this episode two African American women from different generations share stories of growing up in Letcher County, KY, their healthcare experiences, and hopes for the future. These interviews are part of the AppalHealth project, an Appalshop effort to increase knowledge of the history and heritage of Black people in Eastern Kentucky by documenting and lifting up life stories of current residents in Letcher, Harlan, Perry, and Knott Counties. The AppalHealth Project is also focused on providing opportunities for local folks and health and social service providers to work together to improve health services and ultimately health outcomes for the African American community

Tiffany Turner, director of the AppalHealth Project, interviewed Lois Thompson from McRoberts and Jessica Mullins Fullin from Jenkins.

Warning: The interview in the second half-hour of the show briefly uses hurtful, derogatory language which is included for context given by the interviewee.

As anyone who has ever spent any time on the phone with, say, a health insurance company, could tell you, there can be a lot more to keeping healthy than *just* doing what your doctor says. For one, there’s getting to the doctor in the first place— can you get off work? How far is the clinic? Do you have transportation? And that’s not to mention being able to afford the doctor visit, or the price of whatever medication or procedure your doctor might recommend, *or* navigating all of the paperwork and red tape around insurance, or Medicare... long story short, it can just be really difficult sometimes to take care of your health here in America. And as a result, sadly, so many people, including lots of folks here in our region, fall through cracks in our health care system, where they wind up going without the care they need.

But this is exactly where the idea of something called a 'community health worker,' or a CHW, comes in. A CHW is not a doctor, or a nurse—they are members of the community who are specially trained to walk alongside you as you navigate medical issues, and to help connect you with the care and resources that you might need. So, they won’t write you a prescription, for example— but they might come out to your house and call your provider with you to help you get that prescription. Or they might also find you a discount for your medication, or help you with a ride to the pharmacy to pick it up.

Today on Mountain Talk, we bring you a conversation with a community health worker from right here in the mountains— Darla Shepherd, of Harlan County. Darla is a CHW with Kentucky Homeplace, an organization that places community health workers in some 32 different east Kentucky counties. We sat down with Darla to hear about her work, and what she feels like the biggest needs are for the people she works with every day in Harlan County.

It's no secret that East Kentuckians face health issues. There are both higher rates of serious health problems in the mountains than the rest of the state (and the country), as well as real barriers for many local people when it comes to access to care.

But as we hear in this edition of Mountain Talk, on top of the health obstacles that so many of us in the region already face, even for something just as simple as walking into a doctor's office, there are issues our Black neighbors have to navigate, and think about, that folks who aren't Black might not be aware of.

As part of Appalshop's new Appalhealth project, in this show, we sit down with eight Black East Kentuckians, from Letcher, Harlan, and Perry Counties, to hear what their experiences have been like when it comes to healthcare. We hear about everything from stereotypes, to childbirth, to doctors (suspiciously) telling sick coal miners they *aren't*, in fact, sick, as well as numerous instances of patients feeling like their concerns, or their pain (or both), were either minimized by their health provider, or dismissed altogether.

This episode was made possible, in part, with support from Kentucky Department for Public Health's Office of Health Equity. It was produced by Parker Hobson and narrated by Tiffany Turner (who also conducted the original interviews). Music in this show comes from Don Bikoff (via the Free Music Archive) and J.P. & Annadeene Fraley, from the June Appal Records release "Galleynipper."

Our region is notorious for our long standing tradition of telling stories, whether they be fiction or based on our own lives and experiences. And we at WMMT and Appalshop are big on making sure these oral histories are recorded, archived, shared and kept alive for the future generations to listen and learn from. This week’s Mountain Talk features a full length CD created by Alda Smith of South Carolina. The CD blends together the stories of his grandfather, Shelah Laws, with the music he loved to sing. The collection is titled Memories and Melodies of Appalachia: Shelah Lafayette Laws. Tune in to jump back to 1965 and hear this piece of Appalachian history.

In this two-part episode, Lloyd Tomlinson from the West Virginia Mine Museum in Matewan gives context surrounding the company towns in West Virginia at the time of the Wine Wars and how racism and classism played a role in the camps. Then, Doris Fields (aka Lady D, West Virginia's First Lady of Soul) gives insight into her own experience in a Black coal mining family.

Join us today on Mountain Talk for a Valentine's Day special. Come along with WMMT's Téa Wimer as we explore three different mountain love stories for this annual Valentine's-themed episode. First, we'll talk with Cara Ellis, president of Pikeville Pride, who touches on loving and feeling loved amidst chronic illness and learning how to listen. Next, we'll talk with Honey May, who lives in Alum Creek, WV and called in from the West Virginia state Capitol to discuss what it takes to make a loving marriage last. Our third interview is a couple very familiar to WMMT's listeners already! We spoke with Warren and Renee Collins Cobb,producers and hosts of Overtones LIVE. They initially met and dated when they were teenagers, but didn't fall in love and get married until over 30 years later. Together, we'll be exploring topics such as feeling cared for in our communities, compromise, therapy, and more than anything-- each subject believes passionately in "learning to be alone" before falling in love.

As plans are being discussed for new energy in Virginia, Central Appalachians from the Southwest corner of the state want to ensure that they have autonomy and authority when it comes to the industries that will define their region. Small modular (nuclear) reactors are a popular topic of conversation for politicians outside of SWVA, but grassroots non-affiliate organizers and environmental non-profits have joined together to ensure the people know just what these SM(n)Rs may entail for our future. The bulk of these recordings are from a town hall meeting held on October 25 of 2023 in Norton, VA. Other interviews have been conducted during the listening sessions happening almost daily presently in SWVA.

February is Black History Month and Eastern Kentucky is ready to celebrate! On Friday, February 2nd, a Black History reading took place at Read Spotted Newt in Hazard, KY. People gathered to see friends old and new, have some snacks, and share the work of our favorite black authors. The readings included some from classic historical poets such as Gwendolyn Brooks, local artists like Emily Jones Hudson, and even some original work by Dee Parker! Tune in to enjoy some poetry and learn about these talented artists.

Healthcare in Appalachia can be hard to navigate. With a lack of resources and transportation, many people rely on affordable healthcare options such as ARH and MCHC to receive care.

An upcoming potential change in policy could result in a rise in private medical facilities within Eastern Kentucky. Appalshop's Madison Buchanan spoke with Dalton Hatfield, Director of External Affairs at ARH, to discuss what this change could mean and how it may affect our communities.

Ecotourism and ATV trails have become a popular solution to the economic impact of coal employment decreasing. However, ATV trails should be built with the environment in mind. We speak with Wally Smith, a local herpetofauna expert and Vice President of The Clinch Coalition, and Robert Beanblossom, a retired forest ranger and active environmentalist, about the impacts of unsustainable ATV trails and ways we, riders and builders, can be more mindful.

Photo courtesy of Wally Smith.