South Carolina Rural Health Research Center

Post-Conference Reflections: APHA’s 139th Annual Meeting

2011-11-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

From the perspective of one, it seems the field of public health is moving forward in the right direction. The rich diversity of both participants and topics present at APHA’s 139th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC provides a sense of where we are and what we need to move forward. Having a diversified research strategy with long-term perspectives in focus will allow us to address many of the struggles facing our nation and the global community.

The setting was one that has inspired millions throughout the history of this nation. Walking through DC’s museums, around the national monuments and the many inspirational memorials provided a glimpse into the past and the struggles/sacrifices that have helped shape this nation. Looking forward, we understand the path may not be easy, but with a thoughtful, culturally appropriate and evidence-driven research agenda, we can make great strides to improving the health of the nation.

The SCRHRC & USC were well represented, as both students and faculty presented research that covered a range of topics. Some examples include health information technology, home health care, HIV, immunizations, cancer screening and access to care with a focus on the health of women, children, rural adults, Native Americans and Alaska Natives. These are but a few examples of the diverse research being carried out within the SCRHRC & USC.

Celebratory eating

2011-10-28T12:57:00.001-07:00

With all of the eating that we do in our group, it's amazing we get anything done. Celebrated at staff meeting:
* Our group's article in Health Affairs (authors listed in blue on cake). Link: [http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/30/10/1872.abstract]
* Amy and SCDHEC winning a Dentaquest grant for improvement of oral health services for kids
* Nathan winning an RWJ grant to examine the results of shifting preventive services for kids from the public health to private care sectors
* Jordan winning an AHRQ dissertation grant to fund his examination of the association between use of clinical decision support systems and reduced disparities in care among minority and rural populations.
It's been a great couple of weeks!
The bell is a present to Amy and Jan, to be rung at celebratory moments (all others present retain the right to note when ringing should be stopped). I'm not commenting on the buffalo.

Kudos to SCRHRC staffer Jordan Mitchell

2011-10-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

Almost allowed this to get by unnoticed: Jordan Mitchell of our Center has received funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to support his dissertation research. His dissertation. entitled "Association between Clinical Decision Support Systems and Healthcare Disparities," should keep him busy for the next couple of months (or quarters)!

His award was also spotlighted on our school website:
http://www.sph.sc.edu/dsac/studentspotlight.htm

Highlighting one of our faculty

2011-08-19T05:10:00.000-07:00

The Rural Health Monitor profiles Dr. Jan Probst, center Director, in the August issue:

http://www.raconline.org/newsletter/summer11/spotlight.php

A bit of attention for our mission of removing rural health disparities.

SCRHRC at AUPHA

2011-06-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

Just back from the annual meeting of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, which this year was held in the "Holy City," Charleston, SC. It was grteat to be with a bunch of professionals focused on training the next generation of healthcare leaders.

Dr. Amy Martin, Deputy Director of the SCRHRC, along with Diane Kennedy of SC's Lowcounty Area Health Education Center, presented "Innovative Rural Health Curricula: Cultivating a New Crop of Professionals" (See students from her rural health class visiting the Angel Oak, at left) on Thursday, June 23. We have a photo of Dr. Martin presenting; Ms. Kennedy is seated. Their session triggered spirited discussion of rural education approaches at Friday's networking luncheon, at which Drs. Martin & Probst anchored the Rural table. We were joined by Dr. Keith Mueller from University of Iowa, along with colleagues from North Carolina.

Dr. Martin also presented her curriculum as a poster, as shown here. Lots of networking opportunities, as all meals and breaks were held in this large conference room.

We also offered AUPHA attendance as a one-credit option for our doctoral students. Future teachers benefit from learning about teaching as well as research. Some photos of our wonderful learners are shown below.

Post-Conference Reflections : AcademyHealth’s ARM

2011-06-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

The Annual Research Meeting of AcademyHealth in Seattle, WA has recently passed. Those that attended will tell you of a valuable experience both in networking among some of the best health policy researchers available and in taking part in presenting the latest research in the field.

In addition, students from around the nation gathered to either begin or continue on the path of evidence-based research that will hopefully stay with them long into their career. The South Carolina Rural Health Research Center was well represented, as students and faculty presented a combined 8 poster presentations amongst other activities.

The unique culture that hosted this conference was also welcome. The city is a great place to explore, with comfortable footwear, as the supply of steep hills is endless. The city of Seattle provided a wealth of cultural activities including: the fish market, the space needle, good coffee, great seafood and a unique presence of Native American and Alaska Native art and culture. It was truly a great experience.

Honoring Graham Adams, belatedly

2011-05-24T04:28:00.000-07:00

Every year, the Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina bestows the Michael and Saundra Samuals Outstanding Alumni award to one of our Department's own. This year, in recognition of his ongoing contributions to rural public health, the 2011 award went to Graham Adams, MPH, PhD. Since USC's graduation coincided with the National Rural Health Association conference, Dr. Adams was not able to receive his award at his alma mater's ceremony. While a lunch and a presentation by our interim chair, Dr. Dave Murday, aren't a real substitute for being honored in front of the entire Arnold School, we can at least repeat his accolades, read at graduation, here.
Dr. Adams received his undergraduate degree from Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Maryland and completed his his MPH and PhD degrees at the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Adams has worked with the South Carolina Office of Rural Health Since 1995, advancing to Chief Executive Officer. During his career in rural health, Dr. Adams has emerged as a national leader and advocate for rural persons and institutions. Dr. Adams serves on the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), a 21-member citizens' panel of nationally recognized rural health experts that provides recommendations on rural issues to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. A past Trustee on the Board of the National Rural Health Association, Dr. Adams currently chairs the Development Committee of the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, having previously served as the NOSORH President.
Locally, Dr. Adams has built the South Carolina Office of Rural Health, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, into one of the largest, and the most proactive, offices of rural health in the nation. The South Carolina Office of Rural Health serves rural communities through offering health professions recruitment and retention services, a revolving loan program to help new practices get started or existing services to improve, and assisting in the deployment of new technologies. The SCORH also offers support services for certified Rural Health Clinics, acts as an advocate for rural providers, and disseminates information regarding legislative and policy issues impacting rural health. The SCORH also runs the Benefit Bank of South Carolina, a web-based system that helps match families with benefits for which they are eligible. All of these services reflect Dr. Adams’ foresight and leadership.

Great times in Austin; lessons on the way home

2011-05-09T04:53:00.001-07:00

Wonderful to meet up with all sorts of rural people in decidely non-rural Austin, TX. Lots of great ideas exchanged.

Our students, Jordan Mitchell and Tushar Trivedi, presented their work on home health care and metabolic syndrome, respectively. Actually managed to get a photo of Jordan.

Jan wasn't supposed to

participate in any presentations, but rural means helping a neighbor. So when Mike Samuels fell ill and couldn't participate in a border health discussion, Jan filled in for him.

The way home was not full of rural good-spiritedness for one of our students, who was witness to part of the episode in which two Muslim imams were required to leave a Delta airlines flight from Memphis to Charlotte when the pilot refused to fly with them on board [http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110507/ts_alt_afp/usattacksbinladenmuslimsaviation]. Ironically, the men were flying to a conference on discrimination against Muslims. The student was present for the men's second screening before being allowed to board a second flight:

Well, the flight they were originally scheduled for was set to depart at 8:10 that morning, we were on their ‘rescheduled’ flight – after the pilot of the original flight kicked them off. Also, if THAT wasn’t bad enough, TSA did a full body pat down (more intense than I have ever seen) and searched all of their luggage at the gate for the afternoon flight.

One could obviously tell that the other passengers were ‘anxious/hesitant’ about their presence. However after I saw them really getting patted down – I felt that their civil liberties were being trashed…

Ending on a more positive note: The bats were great.

News Tidbits and Off to Austin

2011-05-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

Two updates on our faculty and staff.

First, Dr. Amy Martin took the students in her (award winning!) rural health perspectives course on a field trip to the South Carolina Low Country last Monday. In the photo, the student are posed around the famous Angel Oak [http://www.angeloaktree.org/], near Charleston, SC. Students pronounced it "something out of Avatar."

Next, a photo of our staffer Jordan Mitchell, whose poster, "Poverty and Rural Effects on Edentulism Prevalence", took first place at the poster exhibit portion of the fourth annual James E. Clyburn lecture series.

See everyone in Austin!

In memoriam

2011-04-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

The faculty and staff of the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center mourn the passing of Rosemary McKenzie, minority health liaison and program services manager at the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).
Rosemary had been part of the South Carolina family since our Center was founded, in 2000. As an advocate for rural minority health, Ms. McKenzie served on our national advisory workgroup from 2000 until her recent death. Her passion for populations often lost in the majority white demographics of rural America kept us honest and engaged. Over the years, we used Rosemary's guidance as we developed our multiple presentations for the annual NRHA Rural Multiracial and Multicultural Health conferences, as well as for NRHA's annual conference.
We remember Rosemary as a spirited, stylish woman whose energy lit up every room she entered. If the Father's house has many mansions, we are assured that she is lighting those up, as well.

Picture: Rosemary at a meeting in the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center, 2004.

The good and the bad of working with media: flu

2010-11-29T13:08:00.001-08:00

We were delighted that the University of South Carolina Office of Media Relations choose to feature some recent publications from our Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)-funded Center work. If only they had understood that we weren't working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention!

Oh well, at least the "get a flu shot" message got out. Thanks to our own Kevin Bennett:

On who gets flu shots

http://www.sc.edu/portal2/carolinaminutes/m_1290448691.mp3

On flu myths

http://www.sc.edu/portal2/carolinaminutes/m_1290448805.mp3

Off to Tucson!

2010-11-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

The SCRHRC will have multiple presentations at the upcoming NRHA Minority and Multi-cultural Health Conference. Working on cutting down our presentations to the right size -- We love what we do, so our first drafts tend to contain way more information than anyone else is likely to be interested in.

Looking forward to seeing old friends in a couple of days!

Rural Congress Representative

2010-11-24T07:08:00.000-08:00

Congrats to all of the newly elected NRHA members. And special thanks to the new Rural Congress Constituency Group representative for Research and Education, our own Kevin Bennett.

Teaching Rural Health: Dr. Amy's Delta Omega Award

2010-11-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

The APHA experience was indeed as rich -- overwhelming -- as Jeff described. But one part of it sparkled for the SC Rural Health Research Center: Delta Omega awarded its Innovative Public Health Curriculum Award to our own Dr. Amy Martin (mistakenly referred to as "Amy Brock" by the first presenter!).

In the accompanying video, Dr. Martin walks the Delta Omega attendees through the construction, goals and activities involved in her rural health course. Folks interested in designing a parallel course for their home state are invited to watch. [Jan, who took the video, apologizes in advance. A Flip does a great job in the 5 - 10 foot range, but it less helpful from a distance.]

Amy's talk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9pe972uQ0M

The APHA experience

2010-11-09T20:59:00.000-08:00

Hi all and greetings from the Mile High City. Today marks day 3 of the conference and it's about ready to end. The APHA conference is unlike any other I have attended. The size is just staggering. I knew the public health community was big, and APHA is just a small sample of that population.

Upon registering, attendees receive a book about the size of the JC Penney catalog that includes all of the sessions. There is something here for everyone, and there's lots to see. There are 5 time slots with sessions, and there's around well over 50 sessions in each time slot. I counted one session at random, and it had 78 sessions. During each time slot, there is a poster session. I'm afraid to try to count how many posters are presented every hour.

My poster session went well. I presented right after the welcoming address, and the exhibit hall was flooded with participants. I don't think I had more than 60 seconds between people coming by to ask questions. Many people said that they were maximizing their time by identifying posters and sessions they wanted to see. With a conference this size, you have to do that. And you still only see a fraction of what you want to see.

Let's not forget about the time needed in the exhibit hall to get free swag... Actually, the exhibit hall was pretty educational as well. I learned about some services for students offered by SAS, saw many, many new textbooks out on the market, and I was able to talk to some universities about post-doctoral fellowships and faculty positions. They were also giving away free flu shots and chair massages. I do think I picked up way too many pens this time so guess what my colleagues back home are getting from me when I return...

It was great to see faces from USC that I don't always see, faces of previous cohorts from HSPM, former graduate assistants from the Center, hang with Center staff, and meet a lot of interesting people from all over. My hotel was in the suburbs, but wound up being filled with other conference attendees. It was not unusual to strike up a conversation on the train headed to or from the conference, or wound up sitting next to a conference attendee at the restaurant next to the hotel. Just goes to show you that public health is everywhere... :)

But after all of this information and talking, I'm wiped out. Signing off... ---Jeff

Getting ready for a full day!

2010-11-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

SCRHRC faculty and staff have multiple presentations today at the APHA annual meeting. To get everyone in the mood, please note the cool public sculpture in front of the Colorado Convention Center.

See you in Denver!

2010-11-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

Several faculty and staff from the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center will be in Denver for the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. Come see us! Since many of us are cross listed on each other sessions, or are also listed in connection with student presentations, I've just identified the presenter for each session.

As you can see, Monday Nov 8 will be a busy day for us:

Sunday, Nov 7 @ 2:30: Poster Session 2018.1 Childhood and Adolescent Issues. Jeff Hatala. Oral health in rural South Carolina: The importance of the relationship between school nurses and the dental community.

Sunday, Nov 7 @ 2:30, Poster Session 2042.0, Eliminating women’s health disparities, Jessica Bellinger, Cervical cancer prevention and control practices, knowledge, and preferences among women living in the Southeastern United States.

Sunday, Nov 7 @ 2:30: Poster Session 2045.0 Social and cultural contexts of women’s health. Minnjuan Flournoy, moderator.

Monday Nov 8 @ 8:30: 3052.1 Health Services Research: Subjective and Objective Barriers to Vaccination Delivery. Jan Probst, Moderator. Kevin Bennett, Receipt of Influenza and Pneumonia Vaccinations: The Dual Disparity of Rural Minorities

Monday, Nov 8 @ 10 :30, Session 3136.1, Ethnic and racial disparities. Jan Probst, Racial disparities in mortality among middle aged adults in the United States: Is helath Insurance the Solution?

Monday, Nov 8 @ 10:30. Session3132.0 Greg Alexander Outstanding Student Paper Session: Maternal and Child Health Research. Alexa Gallagher “Weight gain during pregnancy in obese women: Should they gain even less?

Monday, Nov 8 @ 10:30: Poster Session 3088.0 Improving the Oral Health for Children and Adolescents, Amy Martin, Rural-urban differences in early childhood dental service utilization patterns among Medicaid-enrolled children in South Carolina.

Monday, Nov 8 @ 10:30: Delta Omega Poster Session I. Amy Martin’s rural health course will be featured as the 2010 award winner for Innovative Public Health Curriculum.

Monday, Nov 8 @ 12:30, 3253.0 Women’s health equity: An examination of social determinants in disadvantaged populations. Jessica Bellinger, moderator

Monday, Nov 8 @ 4:00: Delta Omega Business Meeting at the Grand Hyatt. Amy Martin will be presented with the Delta Omega Innovative Public Health Curriculum Award for her graduate course in rural health.

See everyone there!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010: 12:30 PM. 4221.1 Public health approaches to breast cancer: Epidemiology, treatment, and survivorship. Minnjuan Flournoy, moderator.

Tenth Anniversary Year!

2010-11-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Belatedly, we are beginning our celebration of 10 years of the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center. We first received funding from the Office of Rural Health Policy on September 1, 2000.

Throughout the year, we will be having guest speakers who can help energize us for our mission of research into rural health disparities. Our kickoff speaker was Francis Chesley, MD, Director of Extramural Research, Education, and Priority Populations for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Dr. Chesley was kind enough to provide two talks to interested faculty and students across USC and from our community partners, including the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control and Greenville Hospital System. Both talks were well attended and appeared to fire up the troops. One student sent a note reading "the event was the highlight of my semester." Hope we can match that for our next speaker!

If you would like to see the slides from Dr. Chesley's presentations, they are available at: http://www.sph.sc.edu/hspm/.

Congrat's to Dr. Martin

2010-09-24T07:32:00.001-07:00

Kudos to the SCRHRC's Amy Martin! Her graduate course, "Perspectives in Rural Health," won the Tenth Annual Delta Omega Award for an Innovative Public Health Curriculum. Delta Omega is the honorary society in public health, founded in 1924 at Johns Hopkins.

Amy's award will be presented at the Delta Omega business meeting in conjunction with the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Denver this November. If you're planning on being at APHA, the Delta Omega meeting will be held at the Grand Hyatt Denver, 1750 Welton Street, Denver, CO on Monday, November 8, 2010 from 4-5:30 p.m, with a reception to follow.

Let's hear it for training the next generation of rural health practitioners and researchers!

Presenting Research at Academy for Health Equity conference

2010-09-17T10:02:00.001-07:00

Holdy folks -- I have recently returned from the presenting a poster at the Academy for Health Equity conference in Englewood (suburb of Denver), Colorado. It was a small conference, but it was a good experience.

This is a relatively new group; it started in 2006 as a result of the 2006 Minority Health conference. It sounds like there was a realization at the meeting that there was no group at that time solely dedicated to the elimination of health disparities worldwide. This group is young and energetic, and I would encourage those researchers involved in health disparities to get involved with this group. Although the number of participants was small, that will only change if others attend.

Two presentations really stuck with me -- Dr. Adewale Troutman with Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness gave a phenomenal keynote presentation about health as a human right, which got everyone jazzed for the remainder of the day's sessions. The closing keynote by Dr. David Williams with the Harvard School of Public Health gave a strong presentation about the progress we have made in terms of health disparities and where we still need to do. The power of research presented well has the ability to motivate and cause change. I'm very glad I was able to hear these talks.

And, I gotta say, the conference cuisine was the best of all of the conferences I have had this year. It was clear that what was on my plate was actual food in all instances, and it was actually pretty tasty. Kudos to the Marriott Park Meadows! The bar has been raised for the Denver Convention Center in November.

Congrats to another alum

2010-07-17T13:42:00.001-07:00

The SCRHRC team would like to congratulate former team member Daniel Patterson, MPH, PhD on being named to the National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council of the US Department of Transportation. And it all started back in South Carolina! Dr. Patterson is now an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine. He also serves as director of research for the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania.

2010 AcademyHealth Final Thoughts

2010-07-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

Good day blogosphere! Jordan here - giving some final thoughts to the AcademyHealth conference held this past week in the Cradle of Liberty, Boston. I, like Jeff, am in the PhD program in the Health Services Policy and Management department in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina.

The conference was filled with interesting sessions and had designated times for poster presentations and exhibits. The first day, I followed my main interest of Health IT and attended sessions that focused on that topic, however, the following days, I spread my wings and attended sessions dealing with primary care, prescription drugs, how to build an academic career, and palliative care.

I would be wide of the mark without mentioning a realization that Jeffery and I had dealing with the level of "geekdom" in which we had risen. Our last morning, (Tuesday) we found ourselves in a difficult predicament: at 8:00 AM, after dismantling and packing the posters to be shipped back to Columbia, we had not yet eaten breakfast and a session on hierarchical linear modeling was beginning. Thus we found ourselves in the uncommon position of deciding whether to eat now and risk missing past of the session, or going to the session and postponing our dietary needs. Like any good student of Dr. Probst, we chose the later. This ended up being a good decision, as this session truly did add to our statistical analysis knowledge and also adds to our "social gathering/small talk" repertoire.

In conclusion, the 2010 AcademyHealth conference, for me was a great experience. It offered an opportunity to see what my peers from other programs were researching, also it offered other networking opportunities with other professors and researchers. I look forward to next year's conference - to be held in Seattle.

Interesting presentations at Academy Health -- but...

2010-07-01T08:12:00.001-07:00

Since Academy Health did not overlap with the annual meeting of the Association of University Programs of Health Administration this year, I [Jan] was able to attend more sessions than in previous years, and actually *pay attention,* versus worrying about missing something at the other conference. There were multiple excellent research method presentations.

Lee Mobley offered interesting remarks on geographic sampling, particularly the need for geographically based samples and geographic contiguity. While I'm not sure I'm 100% in agreement with all of her conclusions, her presentation was truly thought provoking, which is about the highest accolade one can offer. There were also excellent presentations on health disparities, long term care, and multiple other sessions attended by our SCRHRC staff.

But: Rural is *seriously* under-represented at an association that bills itself as a premier health policy and research group. One excellent presentation deal with reimbursement at skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). The investigator, when asked after the presentation, was unaware that SNFs could be located within rural hospitals. Similarly, one of our posters addressed Board issues at critical access hospitals. When asked, only one person who stopped to glance at the poster knew what a critical access hospital is. I continued the experiment at a breakfast session on HSR, where I was seated at the policy table. No one around the table, which included representatives of two funders in addition to folks from major, urban universities, knew what a critical access hospital was, either.

"Yikes" is sort of an understatement about this. Right now, the existence of rural-specific health issues and policies seems to fall in the "don't know that we don't know" quadrant for AcademyHealth. Those of us concerned about rural communities should begin a campaign to establish a "rural" interest group.

SCRHRC at Academy Health

2010-06-28T07:46:00.001-07:00

Following up on Jeff's comments: some photos of our team and their posters.

More Summer Conference fun

2010-06-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hi all -- Jeff here. I'm a research associate for the Center and a PhD candidate in USC's health policy and management program. I'm in Boston with several of us from the Center, and we just finished Day 1 at Academy Health.

A number of us participated in the poster session. I think Dr. Probst wins the conference prize for having the most posters at the conference. She at least wins the prize for having the most from the Center.

The poster session went well. Despite a location by the restrooms, and not near the dessert table in the Exhibit Hall, I had some good conversations with a number of people about our poster "Oral Health in Rural SC: The Importance of the Relationship Between School Nurses and the Dental Community." Some appreciated the 8.5x11 versions of the posters. Some people just can't get enough of the trinket, even a paper one.

I enjoyed talking with the folks around me during the lulls in traffic at the poster session. There's a lot of interesting work in health services research. As a student, it's really gratifying to carry on discussions about research -- design, methods, etc. -- with more experienced researchers. Everyone I have met so far has been very willing to share their knowledge and experiences. As I start to think about dissertation topics, it's been great to hear their insights.

Fellow student staffers Jordan and Alexa (you'll be hearing from Jordan soon) concluded with the evening with dinner at PF Chang's. So good! Here is a photo of Jordan and Alexa eating tasty mini-desserts. A full day of networking and sessions is best ended with a little refined sugar.

More soon... ---Jeff

Notes from the NAC meeting in Charleston, SC

2010-06-17T09:15:00.001-07:00

The SCRHRC was privileged to be able to attend (in the person of Jan Probst, Center Director) the meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services, held in Charleston at the beginning of this week. This was Governor David Beasley’s last session as Chair after eight years of service, which made a meeting in his home state somewhat special.

Jan presented Center data on obesity among rural children, one of three topics being addressed by the Committee meeting. After Jan’s national data, Dr. Mike Byrd of the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control presented on the epidemic-like spread of obesity. Dr. Francis Rushton, representing the SC American Academy of Pediatrics, described the clinical picture of childhood obesity – which can literally result in death, even during childhood.

On Tuesday, the Committee group charged with addressing childhood obesity visited Walterboro, SC to learn about a newly implemented community initiative. (See coverage in the local paper: http://www.ctdispatch.com/?p=6147]. The State Director for East Smart Move More South Carolina, Amy Splittgerber, presented an overview while local project Director Marilyn Peters and marketing consultant Rhonda Rawl provided the details about “Let’s Go Walterboro.”

Tuesday evening, Committee members were able to go to Folly Beach for an oyster roast and low country boil in honor of outgoing Chair, Governor Beasley. Actually, folks from outside SC likely thought “low country boil” referred to the weather. As can be seen from Gov. Beasley’s two-toned shirt, it was hot. But folks seemed to enjoy our great SC beach and everyone was delighted to present Gov. Beasley with a remembrance book featuring his history of service to rural people and places.

Congrats to SCRHRC Alum, Mike Mink

2010-06-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

Dr. Mink's research on the nutritional content of foods advertised on TV is featured in Time:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1993220,00.html

and covered locally by WTOC in Augusta, GA:

http://www.wtoc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3436885&nav=menu89_1_6

Mike was a research associate at the SCRHRC during his doctoral studies. Yay, Mike!!!

Great time at NRHA in Savannah!

2010-05-25T04:58:00.000-07:00

We in South Carolina were

delighted that the NHRA annual

meeting was drive-able this year, which allowed us to bring a fairly sizeable contingent. Most of our presentations dealt directly with our focus, rural poor and minority populations.

For the Wednesday State Health Resources Track, Kevin Bennett, Jessica Bellinger

and Jan Probst presented information about cancer screening disparities and the costs of eliminating them. A lively discussion at that session lasted well past the 5:30 “stop time.”

On Thursday’s State Health Resources Track, Kevin and Jessica paired up with Mike Samuels to present different measures that could be used to assess disparities, including the Index of Relative Rurality. Thursday afternoon found Jeff Hatala presenting information about dental service availability for rural children, findings from a survey of school nurses in South Carolina.

At the “Contributed Research Papers” session on Friday, attendance was slim: our investigators and the rest of the team for support, plus the lone non-SCRHRC presenter who showed up. But we turned it into a seminar and had a great discussion. Alexa Gallagher presented on obesity during pregnancy, Jihong Liu on obesity among children, and Nancy Morden of the VA White Junction Rural Resource Center presented on the disparity between the need for bone density screening in men with COPD and the proportion of rural men who actually received the screening. A great learning session!

And while running Friday morning, saw the great track at right, which the docent at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge ID's as alligator...

SC Rural Health Conference

2010-04-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

The SCRHRC attended and presented at the South Carolina Rural Health Conference in March (over St. Patrick’s Day, actually). Good fun distributing materials and networking with friends from all over the state. Tom Morris and Alan Morgan both provided national perspective. USC-HSPM Grad Rozalynn Goodwin, FACHE, currently with the South Carolina Hospital Association, provided a more locally themed overview of health care reform. Handouts from the talks by Tom, Alan, Rozalynn and the other speakers are available at [http://www.scorh.net/view.php?pid=71 ].

And all participants got to enjoy the South Carolina beach.

Sorry about the picture quality – first attempts with iPhone.

Why everyone wants to work at the SCRHRC

2010-02-10T07:59:00.000-08:00

Belatedly, here are some pictures from our holiday party back in December. We always have lots of food, with way more sweets than are appropriate. People eat till they sag, then we have activity time. After all, everyone was most creative back in kindergarten.

SCRHRC Researchers Address Cervical Cancer

2009-12-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

Cervical cancer, associated with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, is a significant public health problem in South Carolina. The state ranks 14^th in cervical cancer mortality overall, but African American and rural women are more likely to die of cervical cancer. This disparity in cervical cancer mortality persists despite a 75% reduction in mortality since the introduction of the Pap test.

Several SCRHRC researchers were involved in the December issue of the Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association, which highlights cervical cancer prevention and control efforts. Dr. Saundra Glover, Associate Director of the SCRHRC, led the effort to combine the resources in the academic community and partnerships with the community. One of the postdoctoral fellows at the Center, Jessica Bellinger, authored an article describing the results of a population-based survey of HPV and cervical cancer in the state. Jessica Bellinger is also involved in community-based programs as part of the Call to Action: Preventing Cervical Cancer Among African-American Women, highlighted in the Summer 2009 issue of “In Our Hands” from the South Carolina Cancer Disparities Community Network. Study results were presented at the NRHA Multicultural and Minority Conference in Memphis, TN.

More information about the cervical cancer issue of the Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association can be found here (http://www.sc.edu/news/newsarticle.php?nid=652&pg=1) and here (www.sph.sc.edu/health_disparities). Details about the community efforts with the SC Cancer Disparities Community Network can be found here (http://sccdcn.sph.sc.edu/newsletters/index.htm).

Crazy teacher rant

2009-11-12T11:02:00.000-08:00

We all encourage our students to attend professional conferences to network with established scientists and learn new research techniques.

****The good:

A terrific presentation on the use of video recording and detailed analysis to study the nature of the interaction between nursing assistants and residents in long term care. Very cool method, very caring researcher. Kudos to Dr. Lene Levy-Storms and her colleagues.

Kudos to all the good presentations made by our students/post-docs (who never commit any of the errors outlined below): Jessica Bellinger, Minnjuan Flournoy, Chinelo Ogbuanu, & Lekhena Sros.

And kudos to all the wonderful researchers whose presentations I could not attend, as there were 900 individual sessions in a very short period.

****The .... you know.

The next time I attend the APHA Annual Conference, I would dearly love a magic wand [or similar] with which to smite the research unrighteous. Actually, since many presenters are students, I would like to smite the presenters' mentors:

-- If you test 18 [or more] different outcomes and 2 of them are significant at p less than 0.05, don't get all excited. Do the math. Bassmasters does not do this much fishing.

-- Results that do not differ statistically DO NOT DIFFER. Don't pretend they do by discussing them anyway. The purpose of science is to generate new knowledge, not to confirm your hypotheses.

-- Do NOT create "slides" that are actually the sentences from your abstract, pasted into PPT, which you then read.

Kudos to Dr. Van Nostrand

2009-11-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

Back from APHA Annual Conference, we are delighted to note the honor afforded to Dr. Joan Van Nostrand of the Office of Rural Health Policy: A Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gerontological Health Section of the American Public Health Association. Beginning with her work at the National Center for Health Statistics (we won't say when), Dr. Van Nostrand has consistently expanded the nation's understanding of health status and the provision of health care among older adults. Since we all plan on being older one day, her work examining issues such as home health care and nursing homes will benefit all of us.

On Cancer, Health Reform, and Rural

2009-09-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

According to the AP wire for September 19, Congresswoman Sue Wyrick, R-NC, recently spoke out in opposition to health care reform. She cited her own case, which she described as requiring “six doctors, three mammograms and one ultrasound” as taking “only a few weeks.” She asserted that in Canada and the UK, she might have had to wait “more than a month.” [1]

Leaving aside the question of whether there is a substantive difference between “a few weeks” and “more than a month,” and acknowledging the traumatic nature of breast cancer for any woman, the lawmaker could still use some education regarding health care in the US.

- All women do not have equal access to mammograms, and thus to the quick treatment received by Rep. Wyrick. Among age-appropriate women (over age 40), rural women are less likely to receive timely mammograms than their urban sisters (71% versus 78%). Among uninsured rural women, only 51% get screened. [2] That means barely above a coin flip that cancer will be detected among these women.

- For women who are not receiving routine screening and must wait till they detect a suspicious lump to seek out free screening for the uninsured, the clock starts a lot later than “more than a month.” This has real consequences: uninsured women are more than twice as likely to have advanced stage cancer when they first seek treatment (18% for uninsured versus 8% for privately insured women). [3] At that point, they likely would have traded "more than a month" waits to have had their cancer detected at Stage I.

The health care reform debate is not trivial for folks living “outside the Beltway.” We need lawmakers who are both passionate and informed about rural.

References:

[1] “GOP lawmaker warns of dangers in health overhaul” http://www.thestate.com/nationalpolitics/story/949479.html

[2] SCRHRC Health Disparities Chartbook, http://rhr.sph.sc.edu/index.php

[3] Halpern et al, Cancer July 15, 2007, p 395-402.

Reform and Rural

2009-09-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

The SCRHRC was fortunate enough to be a participant at the ORHP Grantee Partnership meeting in DC last week. An overwhelming message on the part of participants: let the wonks sort out the details, but let's have a beginning to health care reform now. We can tweak later.

The LA Times published an interesting analysis of the health reform paradox: rural states (South and West) would be the biggest "winners" if health care reform makes care more accessible, but residents in these areas are most likely to oppose change of any kind [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/healthcare/la-na-uninsured-rural2-2009sep02,0,1307203.story]. If it is difficult to bring change in good times, it may be even more challenging to effect change in bad times.

Lest We Forget

2009-09-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Arriving in DC for the ORHP Grantee Partnerships Meeting, I was fortunate enough to encounter the events pictured. USAirways flies WWII vets to DC, free of charge, to visit the WWII memorial. An honor guard of vets from subsequent wars was present to escort their brothers and sisters to the memorial.

Planning the future of rural research

2009-08-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

The National Center for Minority Health Disparities (NCMHD) and the Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) convened a terriric meeting in DC July 30 and 31, in which the SCRHRC participated. The overall purpose of the meeting, in the words of the pre-meeting materials, was to “provide NCMHD and ORHP with more insight into the best practices, research gaps, and innovation opportunities in addressing and eliminating rural health disparities.” About 30 rural health researchers and representatives of significant rural population groups met to work on defining research opportunities that NCMHD may wish to pursue to reduce disparities experienced by rural (not necessarily minority) populations.

This was a working meeting, not a listening meeting. Participants were divided into three groups, and each group spent the day brainstorming research recommendations for the three areas outlined: best practices, research gaps, and innovation opportunities. The task was harder than it sounds. First, “research gaps” kept sneaking into every discussion. As the rural community has been saying for years, we lack data and quality research on so many aspects of rural: disease burden, health behavior, health care systems operation, and outcomes. Second, it’s hard to keep “best practices” from sneaking into innovation. We know a good thing when we see it. At least, we think it’s a good thing; research is needed to confirm that a cool idea is a best practice. But it’s hard to sit around a table at a hotel in DC and predict the next new thing! Back in the day, I bought a Betamax (kids, ask your parents), so I definitely don’t set myself up as an innovation predictor.

By 5:00 Thursday afternoon, the participants were all drooping slightly from the effort of expending so much creativity. During the Friday summary presentations and discussion, it was clear that most of us agreed on some issues: need for rural data, workforce as a lasting issue, the need for partnerships. The list of topics in all areas was fairly deep and extensive. The proceedings should make a very interesting document.

Rural Faculty Network at AUPHA

2009-07-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

In Chicago last week, the Association of University Programs of Health Administration introduced its new “faculty networks,” scheduled to be implemented in the fall. These networks will expand the previous loosely configured interest groups into ongoing networks dedicated to sharing resources and expanding teaching in their topic areas. Richard Vallone of Adams State College in Colorado (rvallone@adams.edu) is the current Chair of the Rural Faculty Network; Jan Probst of the SCRHRC is Chair-Elect.

Attendance at the first Rural Faculty Network meeting was a tad thin: There were seven of us in the room. Along with the Chair & Chair-elect, this included Armando Valdez of Adams State; David Cockley of James Madison University; Gary Filerman of Georgetown University; Gerald Ledlow of Georgia Southern University; and Warren McDonald of Methodist University. Discussion at the session was wide-ranging, from the interests of the Veterans Administration in rural workforce, to the need to establish what schools are currently doing to prepare students for the challenges of rural healthcare management. A key point: the line between viability and death is a lot thinner for rural hospitals and clinics, with slim margins and limited staff resources, than it is for their urban cousins.

Got any ideas? Send ‘em to any of the folks listed above. We know that there must be lots of rural hospital administrators out there who can tell us “… if only I had known about [insert challenge here], I would have been better prepared.” We hope to develop a charter for our network, so that we can enlist other leaders, teachers and researchers who can help us pool, share, and grow.

SCRHRC in Chicago

2009-06-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

Like Miami, Chicago is a far piece from rural. That didn't stop us from presenting several abstracts at AcademyHealth. Along the way, we met up with Wendy from North Dakota, and visited "Taste of Chicago" to see what the big city folks eat. It appears that they eat SC State Fair food. Not a veggie in sight.

SCRHRC Party

2009-06-26T03:57:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of summer in South Carolina, there is a brief, wonderful time when the weather's nice and warm and the outdoors hasn't yet become a steam room. So Center faculty & staff partied at Jan's house.

Jihong & Jessica

Medha and her lake-loving spouse
Robert & daughter

Jeff & Teddy

More baby news

2009-05-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

Congrats to SCRHRC staffer Jeff Hatala & wife Annie on the birth of Kevin Baxter ("Bax") Hatala.

Vehicle safety

2009-05-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

While running this morning, I was passed by a pickup with 2 kids, estimated age less than 8 years, riding excitedly in the open back. Context: this is a 2-lane country road with a nominal speed limit of 45 mph, on which most folks do 55. I was appalled and instantly wanted to call child protective services.

Mind you, the person who wants to call child services distinctly remembers riding with the kids next door on trips to the farm cooperative to deliver eggs. We rode after the egg cartons, which were stacked right behind the driver, on the open back of a flat-bed truck. On a 4-lane divided highway.

Farm times change -- thankfully.

Baby shower!

2009-05-20T04:41:00.000-07:00

It's hard to be a guy in a mostly-girl Center. Center

folks threw a baby shower for

fellow staffer Jeff Hatala, who is

expecting his second child May 28

(second c-section, so planned date).

Note Jeff's expression on

entering the conference room.

The presence of at least some other guys helped

(James Hardin, at left in photo). But girl power was

everywhere (Minnjuan Flournoy, Jeff, Jessica).

And while we're on the subject of babies,

congrats to Graham Adams of the SC Office of

Rural Health

on the birth of Lauren!

Rural Health in Miami?

2009-05-18T04:30:00.000-07:00

The SCRHRC was at the annual NRHA meeting in glamourous, non-rural Miami, among narcolords (presumably) and TV stars (confirmed sightings). Lots of hard work, with presentations by several SC RHRC staffers In the photos , Jessica presenting on part of her dissertation research, along with Kevin and Graham Adams (RUN chair) discussing some innovative EHR network activity in South Carolina.

SCRHRC alumni were present, as well, including former Director and current Expert Work Group member Mike Samuels, and former staffer Andy Johnson.

Not all was hard work, though. Note Jessica illustrating the absolute hell that constitutes being a postdoc for Jan & Amy, while Dr. Martin experiments with buoyancy devices in one of the Fountainbleu pools.

SCORH at Hilton Head

2009-05-18T04:01:00.000-07:00

The SCRHRC sent Jessica & Jan to the annual meeting of the South Carolina Office of Rural Health. Jessica presented part of her dissertation work, looking into perceived racism and distrust of the healthcare system. Amy could not attend, but was represented by posters created by students in her rural health course.

As would be anticipated given the times, many of the s

essions (and most of the plena

ries) dealt with financial issues, such as stimulus money flows and the outlook for South Carolina Medicaid. But there were lighter moments, including a barbeque dinner at Honey Horn plantation. The photo at right shows a bottle tree, a tradition brought over from Africa. The light shining through the bottles attracts evil spirits, who are then captured in the bottle. The picture of gnarled trees draped with Spanish moss has no historical significance; it's just pretty. Ditto the picture of Carolina coastal marsh at sunset.

Discussing Frontier

2009-05-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

The SCRHRC (Jan) was in Albuquerque on Friday, April 24, for the first in a series of three public discussions of how "frontier" should be defined. In attendance were several impassioned advocates for frontier interests, with a smattering of academics (us). Gary Hart, guru of RUCAs and other rural measures, chaired the meeting.

The most interesting comment was offered by Denise Denton, former NRHA president. She noted that many on the advocacy side of the discussion were arguing from the assumption that an inclusive definition of frontier was a good thing under all circumstances. Denise offered a thought experiment: would you want an inclusive definition if, for example, regulations were passed that required all Federal prisons to be located in frontier counties?

Potential consensus on a definition structure, first voiced by Denise and more fully expressed by Tom Morris, ORHP administrator, seemed to focus on a "frontier and..." concept. "Frontier" could be defined geographically. Eligibility for USDA and ORHP programs, a concern of many present, could be addressed by the "and": "...and high unemployment" for economic development, or "...and 75 miles from a hospital." The "frontier and..." or even "rural and..." structure could allow for communities with particular problems to have those problems considered, without conflating geographic and programmatic considerations.

All in all, a challenging task! Gary & John Cromartie (USDA) will really be working hard over the next year.

Worrying about South Carolina wildfires

2009-04-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

There's something unnerving about arriving in a city halfway across the country (Albuquerque, in this case) and learning that something awful is happening back home. Reportedly, a wildfire has by now destroyed 70 homes, damaged more, and affected a considerable swath of coastal Horry County. The distress experienced by those families is significant, and there are other reasons for concern about fires.

While Horry County may not technically be rural, it is an important employer for rural persons in South Carolina, who often commute long distances to work in the huge coastal tourist industry. South Carolina's unemployment rate at its highest levels since the early 1980s and the economy leads experts to predict shortfalls in pleasure travel for the coming tourist season. Overall human costs could spread beyond those families unfortunate enough to have been in the direct path of the fire.

There is also a "critter cost." Not many people outside of South Carolina know about the "Carolina Bays," mentioned in the news feeds as a source of peat and other vegetation that kept the fire burning and make it difficult to extinguish. The Bays are not offshoots of the ocean, but shallow depressions scattered across the landscape that form mini-wetlands; a rich and unique feature of the Carolina landscape. [For more information, see http://www.dnr.sc.gov/managed/heritage/lewisbay/description.htmlor http://www.srel.edu/outreach/edpubs/carolinabays.html] While the Bays evolved experiencing periodic fires, bulldozers creating firebreaks are not something the trees & critters are prepared for.

Bringing Rural to Social Work

2009-04-20T09:41:00.001-07:00

Jan and Saundra were guest speakers at the College of Social Work seminar on Friday, April 17. Saundra's presentation focused on the many activities of the USC Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities, with particular attention to the community based participatory research projects surrounding HPB and HIV in the rural Orangeburg, SC community. CBPR was catnip to an audience of social work faculty! Jan focused on the recent work of the SCRHRC from Health Disparities: A Rural-Urban Chartbook. Numbers are a harder sell for that particular discipline, unless their focus is very macro social work. But there is a need for all of our gifts.

Congrats to Saundra Glover

2009-04-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

We're delighted to report that the SCRHRC's Associate Director, Dr. Saundra Glover, has been recognized by the Black Faculty and Student Association at the University of South Carolina. At the April 15 awards luncheon, Dr. Glover received the Affirmative Action Award of the BFSA, for her role in promoting meaningful job opportunities for minority faculty, staff, and students. In the photo: Dr. Rodrick Moore, President of the BFSA; Dr. Glover; Dr. Harris Pastides, President of the University. Go Saundra!

Thanks to our Researcher-User Network!

2009-04-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

We had our first phone meeting of our Researcher-User Network group yesterday. Many thanks to all participants! We are enormously grateful to this talented group of individuals who are willing to work with the SCRHRC to ensure that our research is a] helpful to rural practitioners, and b] reaches the persons who can benefit from our findings most effectively. These folks are both generous and terrific:

Graham Adams, PhD CEO of the South Carolina Office of Rural Health and past president of the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health

Patrick (Pat) Libbey, immediate past executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials

Roberta (Bobbi) Ryder, CEO of the National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc.

Robert Graham, MD, Professor at the Department of Family Medicine, University of Cincinnati

Maya Rockeymoore, PhD, Director of Program Leadership, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

[Catherine Hess, Senior Program Director at the National Academy for State Health Policy, couldn't make the phone call, but we hope to meet her soon!]

Jan

Worrying about North Dakota

2009-03-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

Here in South Carolina, most of the state remains in drought despite modest rain during the past two days. But what worries us is our friends in North Dakota, who are living with the opposite problem. Hoping that the sandbags hold.

Promoting rural health everywhere

2009-03-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Moving into new media: Note T-shirts worn by SCRHRC faculty at the Downtown Columbia Triathlon, March 21. We always promote rural. The back of the shirt was even better, but a photo of two backs would look odd.

Reflections

2009-03-09T04:30:00.001-07:00

This story eventually gets to a research-related point and it does have a moral. Will not be taking up a collection.

Met one of the many charming & talented Arnold School of Public Health grad student women when exiting the Blatt PE Center last Thursday. In the usual hi good to see you what are you doing here exchange, I noted that I was training for the upcoming Columbia triathlon. Since disclaimers were clearly needed [I don't look the part], added that I took up the sport a few years ago, at age 57. Further down the conversational line, as we were parting, the young woman said "I think it's so wonderful that you're still doing new things at your age." At your age. My internal response was not a pleasant one. But I recognized the misguided sweetness and answered pleasantly, and we each wandered off home.

As an early Baby Boomer, I'm just reaching the stage at which appearance trumps potential. When I shopped for my current bike, salesmen automatically led me to the fat seat cruisers, not the racers. I'm just an old woman. But I've been able to spend most of my life being something else. For persons of color, the experience of being categorized based on appearance begins a lot earlier. That knot in the stomach translates into stress and stress related disorders. My hope: that as Baby Boomers age, more and more of them come to understand how it stings to be judged based on appearance and develop a broader empathy for others who encounter the same sting. Promoting health disparities research will be a lot easier when a broad base of scientists have a visceral feel for the nature of discrimination. -- JP

SCRHRC at the UNC Minority Health Conference

2009-03-06T11:03:00.000-08:00

Kudos to USC grad (and former SCRHRC post-doc, current SCRHRC related faculty) Banky Olatosi, who represented the Center at the 30th Annual University of North Carolina Minority Health Conference, February 27, 2009. Dr. Olatosi is currently faculty at Mount Olive College in Mount Olive, NC. He participated in a panel discussion of Urban and Rural Health Programs.

Cool Stuff at the SC Telemedicine Summit

2009-03-04T04:43:00.000-08:00

The SCRHRC, South Carolina AHEC, and the Medical University of South Carolina, with funding from the Duke Endowment, collaborated on "Telemedicine for South Carolina: Addressing Healthcare Needs in Rural and Underserved Communities." Full proceedings, including video, will be posted on the web.

Coolest presentations, other than our own Amy Martin outlining the results of our statewide surveys of primary care and specialist docs:

Ronald Weinstein, MD of Arizona on how that state created a telemedicine utility

Herrmann Spetzler from the Open Door Community Health Network in Eureka, CA. As a teacher of healthcare management, I particularly liked his focus on telemedicine as a business model, not a technology. With telemedicine giving him the ability to draw patients from geographically diverse sites, Mr. Spetzler can afford to pay a flat fee for a specialist's time spent at one of the Network's clinics, knowing that all of that time will be filled.

The next hurdle: if we can just convince our educational accrediting bodies that if medicine can be handled in a virtual world, face-to-face video education can count as "contact time."

SCRHRC at the Office of Minority Health Leadership Summit

2009-03-04T04:35:00.000-08:00

We were represented at the Office of Minority Health Leadership Summit, held February 25-27, by Jan (Director) and two post-docs (Jessica and Crystal). Jessica presented a poster reporting some of her dissertation work, dealing with the relationships between perceptions of racial discrimination and mistrust of the medical system and receipt of preventive health services. Jessica & Crystal are shown at the luncheon on Thursday -- sorry that I didn't take more pictures, as that isn't Crystal's best look!

Just out: Health Disparities: A Rural-Urban Chartbook

2009-02-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

The South Carolina Rural Health Research Center at the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, is pleased to announce the release of a new final report. The Chartbook, "Health Disparities: A Rural-Urban Chartbook," is authored by Drs. Kevin J. Bennett, Bankole Olatosi, and Janice Probst.

The SC Rural Health Research Center is in the process of updating our website to allow for immediate downloading of major reports. However, at this time the final report is still available through our website online report request system, at http://rhr.sph.sc.edu. Questions pertaining to this report should be directed to Dr. Kevin Bennett at kevin.bennett@sc.edu.

New HRSA Director

2009-02-20T18:12:00.001-08:00

President Obama today announced the new Director of the Human Services and Resources Administration (HRSA), Mary Wakefield. This is important (to us, at least) for a couple reasons:
1--She understands rural health, having worked as an advocate and researcher for rural health issues for many years (and prior to this appointment, served as the Director of the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota)
2--HRSA is our major funder, so we will be working more closely with Mary and her staff in the coming years.

Congrats, Mary!

Welcome!

2009-02-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the official blog of the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center. We will be posting here as a supplement to our website (http://rhr.sph.sc.edu/index.php), and try to keep you all abreast of what we are up to in a more accessible way. Feel free to drop us a line by email or by saying hello in the comments!