What About Rural Health?™

Chinasa Imo
  • 5.0 (1)
  • MEDICINE

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.

  1. Excluded Voices (B): Financing Care for Deaf and Disabled Communities in Rural Health Systems | Grace Lester

    4D AGO

    Excluded Voices (B): Financing Care for Deaf and Disabled Communities in Rural Health Systems | Grace Lester

    A man sits in jail for murder because of a deaf misinterpretation. Listen to the story.#Deaf #story #ruralhealth #policy In part B of the conversation, Grace Lester talks about the nature of inclusivity, accomodation and the basic necessity of it. She also gives insight into her book, which dives into the stories and experiences of deaf people in incarceration and better approaches to creating a better society for people experiencing deafness. Want to be a guest on What About Rural Health?™? Send Chinasa Imo a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/chinasaimo Subscribe, share your thoughts, and stay connected.  Follow us on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/whataboutruralhealth?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=bd8711f7-e355-4d5d-a9c4-80816136b873

    35 min
  2. Excluded Voices (A): Financing Care for Deaf and Disabled Communities in Rural Health Systems | Grace Lester

    4D AGO

    Excluded Voices (A): Financing Care for Deaf and Disabled Communities in Rural Health Systems | Grace Lester

    How do members of the deaf and disabled community navigate the health system in rural areas and structures? #healthequity #healthcare #deafcommunity #ruralhealth  Grace Lester, a clinician and advocate for Deaf communities, joins the podcast to shed light on the lives of the disabled in incarceration and in the community in general - their problems, peculiarities, and needs.  Subscribe, share your thoughts, and stay connected. Follow us on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/whataboutruralhealth?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=bd8711f7-e355-4d5d-a9c4-80816136b873  Want to be a guest on What About Rural Health?™? Send Chinasa Imo a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/chinasaimo

    47 min
  3. Bridging the Gap Why Rural Health Needs Sustainable Funding with Tariah Adams - B

    FEB 11

    Bridging the Gap Why Rural Health Needs Sustainable Funding with Tariah Adams - B

    What does sustainable rural health financing look like in practice? In Part B of Bridging the Gap, we move from diagnosis to solutions. From a community in Kebbi State, Nigeria — where women created a database of unvaccinated children and actively requested immunisation services - to broader structural questions about political will and local ownership, this episode explores what actually makes rural health interventions succeed. We discuss why: Political will determines whether funding translates into real careCommunity trust is the foundation of effective health deliveryLocal ownership must be central to policy communicationPartnership coordination strengthens rural health systemsEmergency response systems often receive tools and resources that routine rural services never doWhy is performance high during outbreaks — but fragile in everyday healthcare? We also challenge a critical assumption in rural health financing: policymakers must unlearn the belief that volunteers can indefinitely fill systemic gaps without sustainable funding. Listening to communities is not optional — it is essential. This episode continues our deep dive into rural health financing in Africa, examining sustainability, community-led innovation, and the long-term funding reforms needed to build resilient rural health systems. Want to be a guest on What About Rural Health?™? Send Chinasa Imo a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/chinasaimo

    34 min
  4. Bridging the Gap: Why Rural Health Needs Sustainable Funding with Tariah Adams (Part A)

    FEB 11

    Bridging the Gap: Why Rural Health Needs Sustainable Funding with Tariah Adams (Part A)

    In this first episode of Rethinking Rural Health Financing, Bridging the Gap: Why Rural Health Needs Sustainable Funding, Chinasa speaks with Tariah Adams to unpack the structural reasons rural health financing continues to fail communities. Tariah explains how most rural health funding is misaligned—designed to respond to crises rather than stabilise health systems. She highlights how project-based and politically driven funding models favour short-term, measurable outcomes, while rural health challenges are lived daily and require long-term investment. She also points to a critical gap: many funding decisions are made by policymakers far removed from rural lived realities, resulting in budgets that exist on paper but fail in practice. The conversation explores what underfunding really looks like on the ground—from hospitals that exist only in name, to self-medication, unfunded health worker postings, and communities left without care. Tariah emphasises that true success in rural health financing can only be measured by community feedback and involvement, and she calls on rural communities to innovate and take part in shaping solutions rather than waiting for change. This episode sets the tone for a series that asks hard questions about power, priorities, and justice in rural health. Want to be a guest on What About Rural Health?™? Send Chinasa Imo a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/chinasaimo

    40 min
  5. Rethinking Rural Health Financing: Investment Opportunities and Challenges (Bonus Episode)

    JAN 31

    Rethinking Rural Health Financing: Investment Opportunities and Challenges (Bonus Episode)

    Why does rural health remain underfunded - even when everyone agrees it matters?  In this opening monologue of Rethinking Rural Health Financing, Chinasa Imo sets the stage for a bold new podcast series that interrogates one of the most overlooked drivers of health inequity: how money moves, who controls it, and who is left out.  This episode challenges the assumption that rural health struggles are simply about distance, infrastructure, or workforce shortages. Instead, it asks harder questions about power, priorities, and financing decisions that consistently place rural communities at the margins of health systems.  From under-resourced clinics and unpaid health workers to donor dependency, political neglect, and the hidden costs rural families shoulder just to access “free” care, this monologue reframes rural health as a financing design problem, not a service delivery failure. This series will explore: Why rural health is chronically underfundedHow financing models exclude rural populationsThe role of governments, donors, and private investmentWhy rural communities pay the most for the least careWhat equitable, dignity-centred rural health financing could look like Rethinking Rural Health Financing is not about easy answers. It’s about asking the questions we avoid - and centring rural lives in global health conversations where they are too often invisible. Listen, reflect, and join the conversation.  Want to be a guest on What About Rural Health?™? Send Chinasa Imo a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/chinasaimo

    11 min
  6. Resettled and Forgotten (Part 2) with Dr Jessica Darrow

    JAN 7

    Resettled and Forgotten (Part 2) with Dr Jessica Darrow

    In Part Two of Resettled and Forgotten, Dr. Jessica Darrow unpacks what actually exists behind refugee and immigrant resettlement in the United States—and where the system still falls short. She explains the structures currently in place for refugee support across healthcare, housing, and social services, highlighting how government agencies partner with NGOs and caseworkers to provide entitlements during resettlement. Yet, despite these frameworks, real challenges persist, especially in communities facing limited resources. Dr. Darrow challenges the “refugee versus citizen” narrative, arguing that equitable healthcare and social protection require a shared community identity, one rooted in collective care rather than division. She emphasises that the gap between rural and urban healthcare resources in the U.S. is profound, noting that inequitable access is not only a refugee issue but a rural health crisis affecting everyone. Resettlement, she reminds us, is a process, not a destination. The funding structures that support it, often tied to performance-based contracts for work placement and healthcare access, reveal deeper tensions in how care is delivered. To move toward a rights-based health system, Dr. Darrow calls for a shift in mindset: those born into high-resourced environments have a moral responsibility to advocate for the rights and dignity of all people, everywhere. Want to be a guest on What About Rural Health?™? Send Chinasa Imo a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1762029634065133df1c28412

    34 min
  7. Resettled and Forgotten with Dr Jessica Darrow

    12/15/2025

    Resettled and Forgotten with Dr Jessica Darrow

    What happens after people flee violence, climate disasters, and instability — and where do they go when the headlines fade?  In this episode of What About Rural Health, we sit down with Dr. Jessica Darrow, Associate Instructional Professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, to unpack the hidden layers of the global refugee and migration crisis, especially as it intersects with healthcare in rural and underserved communities. Dr. Darrow challenges the way migration is often framed, pointing out that climate change is an overlooked driver of displacement, even though those affected are rarely recognized as refugees under international definitions. She also highlights a troubling global paradox: as migration increases, borders are becoming more militarized and closed.  Drawing on global perspectives from Kenya, Germany, and the United States, this conversation explores a powerful shift in thinking, from viewing healthcare as a limited resource to recognizing it as a fundamental human right. Dr. Darrow explains how this lens changes how refugee and host communities are treated, supported, and integrated.  We also examine the gap between policy and practice, where national frameworks often fail to reflect the realities faced by communities on the ground; particularly around mental health, social welfare, and long-term stability. This episode invites us to rethink care, belonging, and responsibility in a world on the move, and asks a crucial question: who gets to feel at home, and who gets left behind?  Listen, reflect, and join the conversation.  Want to be a guest on What About Rural Health?™? Send Chinasa Imo a message on PodMatch, here: https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1762029634065133df1c28412

    32 min
  8. Community First: How Policy, Psychology & People Power Transform Rural Health with Titilayo Ogunbambi

    11/25/2025

    Community First: How Policy, Psychology & People Power Transform Rural Health with Titilayo Ogunbambi

    In this thought-provoking episode of What About Rural Health?, host Chinasa Imo sits with Dr. Titilayo Ogumbambi, a public health expert whose work blends psychology, policy, and community development to reshape health outcomes in underserved areas. Dr. Titilayo breaks down the real barriers rural communities face — from lack of transportation and inadequate financing to shortages of skilled community health workers. She also highlights the less-visible obstacles: fear, stigma, mistrust, and deep psychosocial burdens that shape how people seek and respond to care. The conversation dives into the complex layers of gender-based violence, reminding us that GBV cannot be treated as a single issue, but as the outcome of intertwining social, cultural, and economic realities. Dr. Titilayo introduces the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) model, showing how communities can unlock their own strengths — social networks, informal support systems, and local leadership — to drive sustainable change. She also speaks to the power and resilience of refugees living in rural areas, and why supporting them strengthens entire communities. On public policy, she emphasises a hard truth: Nigeria doesn’t lack policies; it lacks implementation. Without proper follow-through, the best ideas remain only ideas. From trauma-informed care to community-driven development, this episode is a reminder that rural health transformation isn’t just about medicine; it’s about people, power, and the systems that connect them. Want to be a guest on What About Rural Health?™? Send Chinasa Imo a message on PodMatch, here: https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1762029634065133df1c28412

    49 min
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Chinasa Imo
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 What about rural health
  • Show Website
    What About Rural Health?™