EPHC Launches Stronger Together Podcast to Highlight the People and Perspectives Shaping Rural Healthcare
New podcast brings rural healthcare leaders together for candid conversations about the challenges, opportunities, and decisions facing hospitals and communities.
The Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium (EPHC) is excited to introduce
Stronger Together, a new podcast dedicated to sharing the experiences, insights, and perspectives of rural healthcare leaders.
Officially launched in August 2026 during EPHC's Annual Conference, Stronger Together creates another opportunity for rural healthcare professionals to connect, learn from one another, and explore the issues shaping healthcare in rural communities.
Rural hospitals and healthcare organizations face a unique set of challenges. From workforce shortages and financial pressures to evolving reimbursement models and changing community needs, leaders are continually navigating difficult decisions while working to preserve access to essential healthcare services.
Yet some of the most valuable lessons come from the experiences of other rural healthcare leaders who have faced similar circumstances.
That's the idea behind Stronger Together.
Real Conversations About Rural Healthcare
Each episode features conversations with healthcare executives, industry professionals, and others working to strengthen rural healthcare.
Rather than focusing solely on policy or industry headlines, the podcast explores the real decisions being made inside rural healthcare organizations, including what's working, what isn't, and what others can learn from those experiences.
Topics will include hospital operations, financial sustainability, leadership, innovation, workforce challenges, collaboration, and new approaches to delivering healthcare in rural communities.
The goal is simple: provide useful perspectives and practical insights while highlighting the people doing important work across rural healthcare.
Episode 2: A Rural Hospital's Decision to Become a Rural Emergency Hospital
The podcast's second episode features Sam Pennington, Chief Executive Officer of Garden County Health Services in Oshkosh, Nebraska, discussing one of the most consequential decisions a rural hospital board can face.
In February 2026, Garden County completed its conversion from a Critical Access Hospital to a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH).
The Rural Emergency Hospital designation, which became available in 2023, provides eligible rural hospitals with an alternative operating model focused on emergency and outpatient services rather than traditional inpatient hospital care.
For Garden County, the transition required careful financial and operational analysis, difficult conversations, and thoughtful consideration of the community's healthcare needs.
During the episode, Sam discusses the factors that led to the decision, how the community responded to the loss of inpatient beds, what operating under the REH model looks like today, and what advice he would offer other rural hospital executives considering a similar path.
It's an honest conversation about the opportunities and tradeoffs involved in finding a sustainable future for rural healthcare.
Building Connections Beyond the Conference
EPHC has long recognized the value of bringing rural healthcare leaders together to exchange ideas, share experiences, and identify opportunities for collaboration.
The launch of Stronger Together at the organization's August Annual Conference extends those conversations beyond in-person meetings and provides an ongoing opportunity to hear from leaders throughout the region and across the rural healthcare industry.
Whether it's a hospital administrator sharing a successful operational strategy, a healthcare executive discussing a difficult organizational decision, or an industry expert offering insight into emerging challenges, the podcast is intended to provide information that listeners can bring back to their own organizations.
Listen and Follow Stronger Together
The first two episodes of Stronger Together are now available, with additional planned to be released regularly.
Hospital administrators, healthcare professionals, community leaders, and anyone interested in the future of rural healthcare are invited to listen and follow the podcast.
Listen to Stronger Together on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and follow the show to receive new episodes as they're released.
Reach out at podcast@easternplainshealth.org for more information or to share your ideas for a future podcast.
