Day 2 at AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference: Building health equity & community-centric solutions

Day 2 highlights

Designing population health in a critical access hospital
Holly Davis, Chief Nursing Officer at Bingham Memorial Hospital, detailed her hospital’s transformative journey. Launching a robust population health program in 2018, her team’s multidisciplinary approach is now a blueprint for financial sustainability and improved patient outcomes in rural settings.

Together we can: Addressing health inequities in neighborhoods
This panel from Augusta Health—featuring Mary Mannix, Clint Merritt, and Krystal Moyers—unveiled their “Neighborhood Clinic” model. This innovative approach brings primary care to unconventional locations like community centers and churches, significantly reducing unnecessary ER visits and fostering community trust.

What stood out

• Collaboration in action: The sessions showcased real-world partnerships between health systems and community stakeholders.
• Practical strategies: Attendees walked away with clear, actionable steps to design programs that address the unique challenges of rural health care.
• Empowering conversations: The dialogue around health equity was both inspiring and thought-provoking, reinforcing that every innovative model starts with a shared commitment to community well-being.

Our reflections

Day 2 drove home the power of collaborative thinking and the importance of adapting innovative solutions to meet local needs. The discussions on population health and community-based care left us with plenty to share with our customers.

Kenzie Mills attending morning sessions with Sam Kimball of La Grande Family Eye Care.