An editorial from the Roanoke Times explores the impact of student debt on rural America. This is especially relevant to the shortage of medical providers that Southwest Virginia and other rural communities face. To read the full article, click HERE.

One Care of Southwest Virginia will be hosting a prescription drug and heroin misuse forum in Big Stone Gap, VA on June 23 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. For more information and to register, please click HERE.

Researchers from the University of Virginia conducted a statewide assessment of knowledge of Hepatitis C risk factors, and their findings have recently been published in the Journal of Community Health. Their findings show a critical knowledge gap in the general population, as only 38% of all respondents correctly identified HCV to be curable. Knowledge of risk factors in high-incidence regions was significantly lower than in low-incidence regions. The implications of this research are far-reaching in southwest Virginia, as many counties in the region have rates of HCV many times the state average. In 2018, the LENOWISCO health district had an acute HCV rate of 3.4 per 100,000, compared to the Virginia average of 0.8 per 100,000. The Cumberland Plateau health district fared even worse, with an acute HCV rate of 4.7 per 100,000. It is necessary to develop new public health interventions in order to address these gaps in high-incidence regions, such as the southwest region of the Commonwealth.

To view the abstract for the published paper, click HERE.

What: Managing Opioid Prescribing and Pain Management Conference

When: March 5th, 2019 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Where: Methodist Medical Ridge Conference Room, 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-2529

About: This conference will review the mechanisms of acute and chronic pain and discuss the most effective treatments.  In most cases of acute and chronic pain there are treatments that are more effective and have better outcomes than opioids.  This class will also address the brain changes that occur with opioid use that can lead to aberrant behavior and addiction.  It will educate providers on the most effective treatments of opioid use disorder.

For more information and to register, please click HERE.

Below are some great podcasts courtesy of MEDHOST from the largest rural advocacy event in the country, the NRHA Rural Health Policy Institute.

GMEC’s very own Wendy Welch discussed the crushing effects opioid addiction has on rural communities and advocates strongly that the solution to many problems may just reside in the community itself. Click HERE to listen.

Beth O’Connor, Executive Director of Virginia Rural Health Association, shared her plans to meet with lawmakers on the Hill, for the thirteenth year in a row. She offered her advice that one benefit of living in a rural community can be the ability to connect with partners, neighbors and other community leaders faster and more effectively than in larger, urban areas. Click HERE to listen.

To hear even more great podcasts from MEDHOST at the NRHA Rural Health Policy Institute, click HERE.

The 2019 Ballad Cardiovascular Summit is coming up soon!

About: The 13th Annual Cardiovascular Summit will provide an overview of current topics in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of cardiovascular disease.  This conference will also address updates on federal health policy and pending legislation as well as analyze the new Tennessee STEMI legislation/law and how it affects patient care.

When: February 2, 2019

Where: Meadowview Conference Center – Kingsport, TN

For more information and to view the agenda, click HERE.

From the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine:

This document represents AACOM’s Public Policy Agenda for the 116th Congress. It reflects the association’s federal advocacy priorities to ensure that osteopathic medical education (OME) is an active force in the formulation of national health and higher education policies. AACOM will aggressively pursue these goals, notwithstanding the challenging political and fiscal environment, as osteopathic medical schools continue to grow in number, size, and importance to the U.S. health care and medical education systems.

Public Policy Agenda Objectives:

• Graduate Medical Education
• Physician Workforce
• Medical Students and Federal Student Financial Aid
• Research
• Osteopathic Representation

For more detailed information, please click HERE.