Over the next decade, experts are predicting healthcare provider shortages in the tens of thousands, from primary care and nursing to behavioral health and dentistry. Through the Community Health Scholarship, the Virginia Community Healthcare Association is doing something about it. In this episode of CommonHealth, Kate speaks with Eve Gilles and April Thomas, Community Health Scholarship recipients pursuing advanced degrees in social work and nursing. Their insights on the barriers faced by students and the impact of scholarships and funding are essential in understanding how we can best support the next generation of healthcare professionals and close the care gap that lies ahead.

With special guests:
Eve Gilles, Masters Student, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work and April Thomas, PhD Student, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing

Hosted by:
Kate McCarthy

This week's guest is especially close to host Tracy's heart: her mother, Susan Douglas. In the mid-sixties, Susan left the comfort and familiarity of her hometown to go to Alabama during a time of enormous racial tension to help Black residents register to vote. That decision would change her life. It's where she met Tracy's father, a man from Montgomery, doing the same courageous work. Her journey is a story about risk, conviction and following a moral compass, even when it points you to the hardest places.

With special guest:
Susan Douglas

Hosted by:
Tracy Douglas, CEO, Virginia Community Healthcare Association

In the final episode of the limited audio series Maternal Matters, host Phillip Noel speaks to two leaders at a rural Virginia health center on how maternal healthcare fits into the larger health system. CEO Marsha Mendenhall and Obstetrics Department Operations Manager Tammy Osborne of Piedmont Access to Health Services dive deep on the realities of providing and sustaining an obstetrics department and quality patient care, giving listeners a look behind the curtain on how maternal healthcare comes to be. As rural hospital maternity ward closures persist, the work of health centers like PATHS have become essential in bridging care gaps and ensuring the safe deliveries of the next generation.

With special guests:
Marsha Mendenhall, CEO, Piedmont Access to Health Services (PATHS) and Tammy Osborne, Obstetrics Operations Manager, Piedmont Access to Health Services (PATHS)

Hosted by:
Phillip Noel, Founder & CEO, McCoy Bennett Marketing

The second episode of Maternal Matters is here! Guest host Phillip Noel speaks with Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) on her role as a policymaker in Virginia and her legislative work to advance and improve maternal health. Congresswoman McClellan shares powerful personal stories about her own experiences as a maternal healthcare patient and outlines detailed policy insights on improving access and outcomes for mothers. This is an important conversation with one of our leading voices on maternal health - listen now!

With special guest:
Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, VA-04

Hosted by:
Phillip Noel, Founder & CEO, McCoy Bennett Marketing

What is the state of maternal healthcare in Virginia? Maternal Matters has the answers. In the first episode of this new limited series from the Virginia Community Healthcare Association, guest host Phillip Noel speaks with the CEO of HealthWorks for Northern Virginia and OB-GYN Dr. Tonya Adkins about the current maternal healthcare landscape. From her perspective as a provider, as a community health center CEO, and once having been a maternal healthcare patient herself, Dr. Adkins sheds light on how policy, funding, and compassion can drive real change.

With special guest:
Dr. Tonya Adkins, CEO, HealthWorks for Northern Virginia

Hosted by:
Phillip Noel, Founder & CEO, McCoy Bennett Marketing

When most people think of farming, they think about growing crops outside. When Gus Brennan, Head Grower at Greenswell Growers, thinks about farming, he thinks about growing inside, through an innovative agricultural process called hydroponics. Learn everything you need to know about this sustainable system of farming - and its potential impact on food insecurity - in this week's episode of CommonHealth.

With special guest:
Gus Brennan, Head Grower, Greenswell Growers

Hosted by:
Adrienne Harden, RDN

Just over 1,000,000 people - one in 8 Virginians - face hunger. What does fighting hunger in Virginia look like? In this episode of CommonHealth, host Adrienne Harden speaks with Eddie Oliver, Executive Director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, about food insecurity and how the Federation works to address it. Hear more about innovative programs like food pharmacies, and the potential impact of cuts to SNAP. This timely conversation reminds us: eating is not optional. Listen in and get involved in the fight against hunger today.

With special guest:

Eddie Oliver, Executive Director, Federation of Virginia Food Banks

Hosted by:

Adrienne Harden

As the need for mental healthcare increases, how do we make more resources available to providers to address gaps in pediatric and maternal care? Enter VMAP. On this World Mental Health Day episode of CommonHealth, Rachel Reynolds of the Virginia Mental Health Access Program (VMAP) shares how the initiative empowers providers with vital tools, training and real-time psychiatric support to serve young patients and new parents across Virginia.

With special guest:

Rachel Reynolds, Assistant Director of Operations, VMAP

Hosted by:

Kate McCarthy