Every year, National Rural Health Day is a chance to recognize and celebrate the dedicated efforts of rural health advocates and partners working to improve rural life. On November 20, 2025, The Rural Impact celebrated with something special, a live, story-driven event that lifted the voices behind The Rural Effect.

Over the past two years, over a dozen Community-Based Organizations across Massachusetts led bold, creative, community-rooted work that rippled across 143 rural towns, resulting in expanded access, stronger trust, and lasting local change.

Rural Impact Host and Creator, as well as Rural Effect producer and storyteller, Michelle Rathman, brought together rural leaders who expanded access, belonging, and opportunity, along with staff from community benefit organizations reaching the most remote corners of the state, and leaders from the New England Rural Health Association advancing rural health equity, to share their stories in a special livestream event.

As we kick off a new year with a keen focus on tracking rural health transformation and other policies that impact over 60 million people, we invite you to listen to this special episode.

Every conversation offered something valuable, insight, hope, inspiration, and a reminder that rural communities hold extraordinary potential, and indeed are the #powerofrural.

Special thanks to Kirby Lecy, Jennifer Kimball, Ezekiel Baskin, Sarah Garvin, and Brea Corsaro.

In part one of the last episode of 2025, 'Uncertain Times for Community Health Centers,' Michelle invites Feygele Jacobs, DrPH, MS, MPH to The Rural Impact. Dr. Jacobs is the Director of the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health and Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University. Previously, she was President and CEO of the RCHN Community Health Foundation, a non-profit dedicated exclusively to supporting and benefiting health centers and their communities and patients. Her diverse background includes positions in Medicaid managed care, public health care systems, and teaching hospitals.

Summary

Michelle Rathman speaks with Dr. Jacobs about the critical role of community health centers in the American healthcare system, especially in light of recent legislative changes such as HR1. They discuss the challenges these centers face, including funding cuts, Medicaid work requirements, and the impact of immigration policies on access to care. The conversation highlights the importance of these centers in serving vulnerable populations and the potential consequences of policy changes on healthcare access and quality.

In part two of this episode, Michelle talks with National Association of Community Health Centers Chief Policy Officer, Joe Dunn. Joe is a two-time graduate of the George Washington University, Joe has spent the last twenty years in Washington, DC, on Capitol Hill and in a variety of government relations roles. Joe joined NACHC in January 2021 as Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Research from Cigna. Prior to this, he was in senior positions in three congressional offices, including Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy.

Michelle and Joe discuss the critical role of community health centers in rural America, highlighting their contributions over the past 60 years, the challenges they face, and the importance of advocacy. They delve into the Rural Health Transformation Fund, workforce shortages, funding instability, and the need for innovative solutions to overcome geographic isolation. The discussion emphasizes the significance of community voices in shaping health policy and ensuring the sustainability of these vital health services.

In this episode, 'A Conversation About the Intersections of Policy and Philanthropy,' Cara V. James, PhD, President and CEO of Grantmakers in Health (GIH), joins Michelle to explore key topics like rural health funding challenges and the critical conversations shaping health policy.

Before joining GIH in 2020, James served as Director of the Office of Minority Health at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the US Department of Health and Human Services, where she provided leadership, vision, and direction to advance health equity. Under her guidance, CMS developed its first CMS Equity Plan to Improve Quality in Medicare, its first Rural Health Strategy, created an ongoing initiative to help individuals understand their coverage and connect to care, increased the collection and reporting of demographic data, and developed numerous tools and resources to advance health equity.

In this conversation, Michelle and Cara talk candidly about how philanthropy can address health disparities, especially in rural communities, and the impact of government policies on nonprofit funding, emphasizing community engagement and leadership in advancing health equity.

The conversation highlights the need for a collaborative approach to improve healthcare access and population health, stressing the importance of systemic change and the freedom to give, encouraging listeners to consider how they can support these efforts.