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Dr. James Jackson, author and director of behavioral health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, joins us on today’s guest episode of Rural Health Today. Medical trauma can create barriers between patients and access to the care they need. Dr. Jackson will share his perspective as an expert in behavioral health and author of a recently published book on medical trauma. We’ll talk about symptoms of medical trauma, healing strategies, and of course, what it all has to do with rural health. Follow Rural Health Today on social media! https://x.com/RuralHealthPod https://www.youtube.com/@ruralhealthtoday7665 Follow Hillsdale Hospital on social media! https://www.facebook.com/hillsdalehospital/ https://www.twitter.com/hillsdalehosp/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/hillsdale-community-health-center/ https://www.instagram.com/hillsdalehospital/ Follow Dr. James Jackson on social media! https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-jackson-b451503/ Follow Vanderbilt University Medical Center on social media! https://www.linkedin.com/company/vanderbilt-university-medical-center/ https://www.facebook.com/vanderbilthealthVUMC01

I am excited to welcome Alexa McKinley-Abel onto our show! Today we’re talking about the impact of funding cuts and harmful legislation on rural communities and hospitals. Alexa is here to share her perspective as an expert in government policy and advocacy. We’ll talk about the role of state offices, the newest budget cuts proposed for Fiscal Year 2027, and of course, what it all has to do with rural health. Follow Rural Health Today on social media! https://x.com/RuralHealthPod https://www.youtube.com/@ruralhealthtoday7665 Follow Hillsdale Hospital on social media! https://www.facebook.com/hillsdalehospital/ https://www.twitter.com/hillsdalehosp/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/hillsdale-community-health-center/ https://www.instagram.com/hillsdalehospital/ Follow our guest on social media! https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-mckinley/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-rural-health-association/posts/?feedView=all https://www.facebook.com/ruralhealth

Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital. News sources for this episode: National Conference of State Legislators, “FY 2027 State Budget Status,” May 7, 2026, https://www.ncsl.org/fiscal/fy-2027-state-budget-status. Robert Tann, “Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs state budget, with Medicaid taking brunt of cuts to close $1 billion gap,” May 8, 2026, https://www.aspentimes.com/news/colorado-new-budget-cuts-medicaid/, The Aspen Times. Liese Klein, “Connecticut hospitals get funding boost as federal Medicaid cuts loom,” May 9, 2026, https://www.ctinsider.com/business/article/connecticut-hospitals-budget-provider-tax-medicaid-22244864.php, CT Insider. Clark Corbin, “Idaho Senate passes rewritten health and welfare budget with additional budget cuts,” March 26, 2026, https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/03/26/idaho-senate-passes-rewritten-health-and-welfare-budget-with-additional-budget-cuts/, Idaho Capital Sun. Jason Bailey, “Budget Agreement Cuts and Freezes Funding for Most Services, Continues to Underfund Medicaid,” April 15, 2026, https://kypolicy.org/budget-agreement-cuts-and-freezes-funding-for-most-services-continues-to-underfund-medicaid/, Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. Roz Brown, “NM's Medicaid program gets state funding boost after federal cuts,” March 26, 2026, https://www.krwg.org/regional/2026-03-26/nms-medicaid-program-gets-state-funding-boost-after-federal-cuts, KRWG Public Media. Hayley DeSilva, “Layoffs, closures tracker: Providence to cut 40 positions,” May 12, 2026, https://www.modernhealthcare.com/providers/staffing/mh-layoffs-closures-healthcare-live-updates/, Modern Healthcare. Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com.

Monica McConkey, Eyes on the Horizon founder and rural mental health specialist, joins us on today’s guest episode of Rural Health Today. Today we’re talking about access to mental healthcare in rural communities. Monica is here to share her perspective as a leader in rural mental health. We’ll talk about service closures, how stigma affects care, and of course, what it all has to do with rural health. Follow Rural Health Today on social media! https://x.com/RuralHealthPod https://www.youtube.com/@ruralhealthtoday7665 Follow Hillsdale Hospital on social media! https://www.facebook.com/hillsdalehospital/ https://www.twitter.com/hillsdalehosp/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/hillsdale-community-health-center/ https://www.instagram.com/hillsdalehospital/ Follow our guest! https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamcconkey/ https://www.eyesonthehorizon.org/ https://www.facebook.com/eyesonthehorizonconsulting

Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital. News sources for this episode: National Rural Health Association, “Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026,” February 17, 2026, https://nrha-prod-eastus-be.azure.silvertech.net/NationalRuralHealth/media/Documents/Advocacy/2026/Farm,-Food,-and-Natl-Sec-Act-summary-2-17-26_1.pdf. Congress.gov, “H.R.7567 - Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026,” https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7567/text. Alan Condon, “‘Dynamics we haven’t experienced before’: Hospitals absorb costs as patients lose coverage, skip Medicaid,” May 5, 2026, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/we-are-dealing-with-dynamics-we-havent-experienced-before-hospitals-absorbing-costs-as-patients-lose-coverage-skip-medicaid/, Becker’s Hospital Review. Steven Martin, “Facing Financial Pressure, Rural Hospitals Adapt to Survive,” May 4, 2026, https://oklahomawatch.org/2026/05/04/facing-financial-pressure-rural-hospitals-adapt-to-survive/, Oklahoma Watch. Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com.

We're back for part two with Elizabeth Kutter, vice president and deputy chief counsel at the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, joins us on today’s episode of Rural Health Today. Healthcare expenses continue to outpace the cost of living, creating more financial strain for hardworking families across the US. Elizabeth is here to provide her insight as an advocate for healthcare funding in Michigan’s state government. We’ll talk about Medicaid cuts, state budget priorities, and of course, what it all has to do with rural health. Follow Rural Health Today on social media! https://x.com/RuralHealthPod https://www.youtube.com/@ruralhealthtoday7665 Follow Hillsdale Hospital on social media! https://www.facebook.com/hillsdalehospital/ https://www.twitter.com/hillsdalehosp/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/hillsdale-community-health-center/ https://www.instagram.com/hillsdalehospital/ Follow our guest! https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-kutter-93b02740/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/michiganhospitals/posts/?feedView=all https://www.facebook.com/MichiganHospitals

Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital. News sources for this episode: Gary L. Roth, DO, “Fact Check: Drug Pricing Savings Are the Lifeline to Community Healthcare Services,” April 30, 2026, https://www.mha.org/newsroom/fact-check-drug-pricing-savings-are-the-lifeline-to-community-healthcare-services/, Michigan Health and Hospital Association. American Hospital Association, “AHA urges HRSA to act as Eli Lilly threatens 340B discounts over claims data submission policy,” April 27, 2026, https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2026-04-27-aha-urges-hrsa-act-eli-lilly-threatens-340b-discounts-over-claims-data-submission-policy. American Hospital Association, “Washington Post publishes AHA letter in response to anti-340B editorial,” April 22, 2025, https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2026-04-22-washington-post-publishes-aha-letter-response-anti-340b-editorial. Jennifer Wessel, JD, MPH, “Commercial Insurers’ Payments to Hospitals Closer to Medicare Rates in Arkansas Than in Any Other State,” May 15, 2024, https://achi.net/newsroom/commercial-insurers-payments-to-hospitals-closer-to-medicare-rates-in-arkansas-than-in-any-other-state/, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. Tess Vrbin, “Low reimbursement rates force Arkansas hospitals to scale back services,” April 21, 2026, https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/04/21/low-reimbursement-rates-force-arkansas-hospitals-to-scale-back-services/, Arkansas Advocate. Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com.

Elizabeth Kutter, vice president and deputy chief counsel at the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, joins us on today’s episode of Rural Health Today. Healthcare expenses continue to outpace the cost of living, creating more financial strain for hardworking families across the US. Elizabeth is here to provide her insight as an advocate for healthcare funding in Michigan’s state government. We’ll talk about Medicaid cuts, state budget priorities, and of course, what it all has to do with rural health. Follow Rural Health Today on social media! https://x.com/RuralHealthPod https://www.youtube.com/@ruralhealthtoday7665 Follow Hillsdale Hospital on social media! https://www.facebook.com/hillsdalehospital/ https://www.twitter.com/hillsdalehosp/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/hillsdale-community-health-center/ https://www.instagram.com/hillsdalehospital/ Follow our guest! https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-kutter-93b02740/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/michiganhospitals/posts/?feedView=all https://www.facebook.com/MichiganHospitals

Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital. News sources for this episode: Marcia Brown, “The future of WIC’s fruit and veggie benefit,” April 20, 2026, https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-agriculture/2026/04/20/the-future-of-wics-fruit-and-veggie-benefit-00880249, Politico. Kelly Gooch and Kristin Kuchno, “The hospitals, health systems cutting jobs in 2026,” April 24, 2026, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/the-hospitals-health-systems-cutting-jobs-in-2026/, Becker’s Hospital Review. Science Delivers, “The State of Science in America: What the Data Reveal,” February 4, 2026, https://sciencedelivers.com/get-the-data?utm_source=pol&utm_medium=dig_news&utm_campaign=bayer26_dc&utm_content=txt1c&dclid=CMT-0rDUhJQDFZggjgUd3yIk6w&gad_source=7. The Harris Poll, “Science Under Siege: The Battle Between Viral Misinformation and Shared Belief in the Value of Science,” https://theharrispoll.com/articles/misinformation-and-the-value-of-science/. The Harris Poll, “Science Under Siege: The Battle Between Viral Misinformation and Shared Belief in the Value of Science,” February 4, 2026, https://theharrispoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Harris-Poll-Misinformation-and-Science-Report_march-2026.pdf. Lee Van Roth, “Statewide effort tackles postpartum depression and perinatal mood disorders,” April 9, 2027, https://modeldmedia.com/statewide-effort-tackles-rising-rates-of-postpartum-depression-and-perinatal-mood-disorders/, Model D. Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com.

Rural Health Today is thrilled to welcome to the show Alana Skye Campbell, senior director of healthcare access at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Today we’re talking about healthcare deserts in rural America and how access to local care impacts the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. Alana is here to share her perspective and insight on healthcare access for multiple sclerosis care and treatment. We’ll talk about barriers to receiving care and treatment in a healthcare desert, the impact of limited access on the wellbeing of a community, and of course, what it all has to do with rural health. Follow Rural Health Today on social media! https://x.com/RuralHealthPod https://www.youtube.com/@ruralhealthtoday7665 Follow Hillsdale Hospital on social media! https://www.facebook.com/hillsdalehospital/ https://www.twitter.com/hillsdalehosp/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/hillsdale-community-health-center/ https://www.instagram.com/hillsdalehospital/ Follow our guest! https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-skye-campbell/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-ms-society/https://www.facebook.com/nationalmssociety