What happens to a rural Nebraska community when getting medical care means driving farther, and finding fewer options when you arrive?
In this edition of Dan on the Road, I travel to Kearney and Hastings to hear from the people working to keep health care within reach for rural Nebraskans.
We explore the pressures facing rural hospitals, the challenge of recruiting doctors and nurses, access to maternity care, and what federal funding decisions mean for patients and communities.
One story brings it home: Dr. Todd Pankratz describes nurses raising money for gas cards so patients can get to their appointments.
These decisions reach far beyond Washington and Lincoln. They affect families, local jobs, and whether communities can continue to care for the people who call them home.
FEATURED CONVERSATIONS
• Dr. Brady Beecham — Family medicine physician and chief medical officer, Friend, Nebraska
• Jed Hansen — Executive Director, Nebraska Rural Health Association
• Jenny Knobbe — UNMC College of Nursing; rural recruitment
• Jeremy Nordquist — President and CEO, Nebraska Hospital Association
• Dr. Todd Pankratz — OB/GYN, Hastings, Nebraska
• Sen. Dan Quick — Nebraska Legislature
MADE POSSIBLE WITH SUPPORT FROM
Nebraska Hospital Association
Nebraska Medical Foundation
PRODUCTION
Host and Producer: Dan Parsons
Director: Grant Parsons
Editors: Nguyễn Lương Hằng and Ike Somanas
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What has your experience been with rural health care? Share your story in the comments.
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