What About Rural Health?™

In this insightful episode of What About Rural Health?™, host Chinasa Imo sits down with Dr. Emily Parker to unpack the often-overlooked role of policy in shaping healthcare access for rural and underserved communities.
Dr. Parker traces the history of healthcare safety nets, explaining how they came to be and why they matter today. She advocates for place-based policy—an approach where governments design interventions using geographical and economic criteria to better serve historically disadvantaged communities.
Together, they explore the complex realities of rural life that policymakers often miss: the absence of social amenities, administrative challenges, and the ripple effects these gaps have on healthcare delivery. Dr. Parker also highlights the urgent need for raising awareness around rights and entitlements, especially for immigrant populations who are frequently left behind.
The episode closes with a powerful call for telehealth innovation, stressing that improved internet access and digital tools could transform healthcare delivery for rural communities worldwide.
Whether you’re a policymaker, healthcare professional, or advocate, this episode will challenge your assumptions and broaden your perspective on rural health equity.

What is What About Rural Health?™?

From the Margins: Let’s Create the Narrative Together
What About Rural Health?™ is a podcast series dedicated to bringing focused
discussions on the unique challenges, lived experiences, opportunities, and innovations
within rural healthcare—both locally and globally. Our mission is to bring rural health to
the forefront of the global health conversation, ensuring these stories are not just heard,
but impossible to ignore.

Hosted by Chinasa U Imo, a Global Health Policy Strategist, and produced by
WARH?™ Studios, this immersive series blends first-hand accounts, expert insights,
policy conversations, and cutting-edge research to elevate rural health in the global
discourse. Each episode features voices from the frontlines—community members,
healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers—unpacking the structural
gaps and innovative solutions shaping access to care in underserved communities.
From deep-dive interviews to field-based storytelling, we bring rural health out of the
margins and into focus—sparking dialogue, inspiring action, and influencing decisions
and policies that advance equity.

Whether you're a health professional, a student, a researcher, a policymaker, an
advocate, or a curious listener, What About Rural Health?™ invites you to rethink global
health through a rural lens—and join the movement to make rural health impossible to
ignore.