A Conversation With UP Rural Health Leader Dennis Smith

02/01/23 • 19 min

In this episode of the Rural Insights Podcast, David Haynes sits down for a conversation with Dennis Smith. Dennis is the President of Dennis H. Smith Consulting, a firm working in the Rural Healthcare space focusing on Policy, Strategic Planning and Advocacy. He’s also the former President and CEO of Upper Peninsula Health Plan and its related companies.

Previous Episode

A Conversation with Kerri Schuiling, President of Northern Michigan University

In this episode of the Rural Insights Podcast, David Haynes sits down with Kerri Schuiling, President of Northern Michigan University.
Topics discussed include NMU's new mental wellness program, the transition to incoming NMU president Dr. Brock Tessman, childcare for faculty and students, the university budget, and more.
Dr. Kerri Schuiling became interim president of NMU on October 1, 2021. The NMU Board of Trustees removed the "interim" portion of her title in April 2022 to recognized the extended timeline for the current presidential search. Schuiling previously served as the university's provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. She is Northern’s 16th president.
Dr. Schuiling is a 1973 NMU graduate. She also holds a master's degree from Wayne State University and a doctorate from the University of Michigan. She is certified as both a women's health nurse practitioner and nurse-midwife. She was the third nurse practitioner to practice in western Michigan and was the first credentialed nurse-midwife at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids.
When not on campus, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and family pets, and she is an avid downhill skier.

Next Episode

Representative David Prestin on Rural Issues, Veterans, Childcare, and Healthcare in the U.P.

In this episode of the Rural Insights Podcast, David Haynes and Student Researcher Brenna Musser talk to Representative David Prestin from the 108th House District. They discuss the top issues affecting the district, including the need for more opportunities, housing, and jobs to improve the quality of life in the Upper Peninsula.

They also delve into the challenges faced by veterans in rural areas, the childcare crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shortage of healthcare specialists in the U.P. Preston emphasizes the importance of addressing these issues through policy changes, investment, and removing bureaucratic hurdles.

Topics discussed include the need for more opportunities and revitalization in the U.P., challenges faced by veterans in rural areas and the lack of accessibility to advanced care, the childcare crisis and the need for regulatory reform to support cottage-style facilities, the shortage of housing and the impact of high labor and material costs, and the scarcity of healthcare specialists and the importance of attracting and retaining medical professionals in rural areas.

The Rural Insights Podcast - A Conversation With UP Rural Health Leader Dennis Smith

Transcript

David Haynes:

Good afternoon and welcome to our latest edition of Podcasts of Rural Insights. And today we're really pleased to have a good friend of ours, Dennis Smith, who you've seen before on this show and heard before. For those of you that just do it audio, Dennis is the former is the former c e o at up health plans, and he is I gotta say on more boards than I know of anyone else. He's so active in community and downstate. So welcome Dennis. Glad you're with us.