Dispelling Myths & Changing Lives: An Inside Look at a Federally Qualified Health Center

Rebecca Mankin on Avoiding Rural Health Funding Application Traps

Rebecca Mankin, Founder and CEO of Mankin Consulting, joins Jerry Hofer to discuss two of the most common application traps that rural health organizations encounter: misunderstanding allowable uses of funding and failing to align projects with state priorities. Rebecca shares practical insights from years of experience helping healthcare organizations secure and manage grant funding, including why outreach and marketing activities are often allowable expenses, how compliance requirements are evolving, and why stakeholder engagement is critical before submitting an application. The conversation also explores innovative uses of funding for telehealth, cybersecurity, remote patient monitoring, and specialty care access in rural communities.

Carleigh Gabryel on Why Now is a Critical Moment for Research Communications

Carleigh Gabryel shares her unique career journey from television news reporter to leading research communications at the University of North Carolina. Along the way, she discovered a passion for helping researchers tell stories that connect scientific discoveries to real people, real communities, and real-world impact. Carleigh discusses how her team works across UNC's research enterprise to communicate everything from public health breakthroughs to cutting-edge medical discoveries. She explains why the most effective research communications humanize the researchers behind it and show how their work improves lives. The conversation also explores the growing role of short-form video, the importance of curiosity in effective communication, and the challenges universities face in demonstrating the value and impact of research.

Dispelling Myths & Changing Lives: An Inside Look at a Federally Qualified Health Center

What does it really take to improve healthcare access in underserved communities? In this episode, Paola Rios, Nicole Kuzmicic and Dr. Kathy Cornelius from Central North Alabama Health Services, Inc. (CNAHSI) share how one of Alabama's leading Federally Qualified Health Centers is helping patients overcome barriers to care through community partnerships, coordinated services, and a commitment to treating the whole person. The conversation explores common misconceptions about community health centers, the challenges many patients face in accessing care, and the innovative programs that make healthcare more affordable and accessible, from transportation assistance and low-cost medications to cancer screenings and food security initiatives. The team also discusses what it means to be a Patient-Centered Medical Home and an Age-Friendly Health System, demonstrating how coordinated, compassionate care can improve health outcomes across every stage of life.

Kate Stier on the Value of Building Trust Through Consistent Community Outreach

Kate Stier shares how Capital Health has built trust across central New Jersey through a long-term commitment to community outreach, preventive screenings, educational publications, and boots-on-the-ground engagement. As Director of Public Relations and Community Outreach, she leads a team that works directly in the community to help patients access care before health issues become crises. Kate discusses the importance of leadership support, why consistency matters more than one-time campaigns, and how Capital Health has dramatically expanded its outreach efforts by empowering nurses, physicians, and executives to participate in community events. She also reflects on the career lessons she's learned over three decades in healthcare marketing, including the value of volunteering, mentorship, and showing up when the work needs to be done.

Dana Lampert on How AI Visibility is Reshaping Healthcare Marketing

Dana Lampert, Founder and CEO of TrueSignal, explores how AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity are changing the way patients research, compare, and choose healthcare organizations. Dana explains why many hospitals and provider groups are struggling to appear accurately in AI-generated recommendations, even when they have strong reputations and exceptional clinical expertise. He also introduces the concept of Trust Records: structured, AI-readable organizational data designed to help healthcare providers improve discoverability, transparency, and trust in AI-driven search experiences. The conversation dives into the future of SEO, the rise of AI-assisted patient decision-making, and why healthcare organizations that act early may gain a significant competitive advantage as AI becomes part of the new front door to care.