What did the Student Health Coalition (SHC) accomplish? What was left behind in the rural areas visited by the SHC when the health fairs were over and when the community workers who had labored so diligently to organize and to empower local people moved on? (More on this topic is to be found under LEGACY.)
On assembling the record of organizing efforts that grew out of SHC work
John Davis reflects on the Coalition’s work planting community activist seeds and frames the archive project as an opportunity to assemble the record of organizing efforts that grew out of them. Follow this link for access to the full-length panel… Continued
Jack Beckford on the Student Health Coalition Legacy Fund
Jack Beckford offers insight into the role the Student Health Coalition Legacy Fund has played in uncovering and supporting ongoing work on issues in Appalachia related to the SHC’s activism in the 1960s and 70s. He lists Appalshop, the Highlander… Continued
On the development of Vanderbilt’s Nurse Practitioner program and other critical role expansions
Pete Moss describes one of the key developments that came about as a result, at least in part, of the Student Health Coalition’s philosophical contributions to the medical arena. He references the origination and evolution of Vanderbilt’s Nurse Practitioner (NP)… Continued
On the empowerment intrinsic to Linda Hart’s nursing career and its role in challenging the system
Linda Hart speaks to the evolution of her nursing career, in part influenced by connections to the Student Health Coalition (SHC). Upon being recruited by Bill Dow, she worked five years as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) at the White Oak… Continued
Diane Lauver’s response to sexism with pivot toward becoming a Nurse Practitioner
In exploration of how sexism influenced Coalitioners’ career paths, Diane Lauver describes her introduction to the Nurse Practitioner role that Loretta Ford championed and that Bill Dow and Leah Albers advocated for in the SHC approach to community healthcare. Following… Continued
Reflections on personal growth from SHC participation
Carolyn Burr poignantly describes the profound mutual value of getting involved with projects like the Student Health Coalition (SHC), based on reflections of her own experience and the personal growth that transpired from her participation. Follow this link for access… Continued
The Coalition’s influence on Carolyn Burr’s work as an NP and personal healthcare philosophy
Carolyn Burr reflects on the Coalition values she carried forward into her future work as a Nurse Practitioner (NP). In doing so, she describes the intellectual stimulation that came from working with a diverse group of folks and its influence… Continued
SHC’s patient-centered healthcare and its role in the expansion of Nurse Practitioners
Carolyn Burr discusses the Student Health Coalition’s (SHC) approach to healthcare, emphasizing their value of patient/community involvement and accountability. She describes Dr. Amos Christie’s direct influence on her own nursing career, as well as on the profession moving forward–namely as… Continued
On the Coalition’s installation of hope, strength, and inspiration to keep going
Margaret Ecker frames healthcare as a tool the SHC elected to use toward community empowerment, concluding, along with Rosie Hammond, that while the Coalition may not have made many structural changes to healthcare in the region, their community organizing efforts… Continued
Did we make a difference? Margaret Ecker and Rosie Hammond reflect.
Margaret Ecker and Rosie Hammond grapple with the question: did we (the SHC) make a difference? Margaret shares how, in reflection of Art Van Zee’s insight to ongoing addiction throughout southwest Virginia and the Appalachian region, there are new challenges… Continued
SHC influence on Rosie Hammond’s career arc: public clinics vs private practice
Rosie Hammond details how the SHC experience influenced her career arc, highlighting a nurtured commitment to Coalition philosophies (such as really listening to the patient for context and expressed needs, as well as considering all social determinants of health) and… Continued
Discussion about the SHC’s degree of influence on approaches to nursing
Margaret Ecker and Rosie Hammond discuss their difference in perspective about the Coalition’s degree of influence on participants, namely as it regards those who went on to pursue nursing. They ponder how much certain characteristics (such as fierce autonomy and… Continued
On the joy and impact of living with local families in East Tennessee
Rosie Hammond shares the highlight of her SHC experience: living with and getting to know local families. She names several from her time in Briceville, White Oak, Petros, Stoney Fork, and Rose Creek, Tenn., including (but not limited to) the… Continued
Changes in perception of black lung, 1971 vs 1975
John Kennedy reflects on the difference between 1971 and 1975 perceptions of black lung, including recognition of the disease, access to healthcare, and availability of legal support. For more information on John Kennedy’s involvement with the East Tennessee Research Corporation… Continued
On the Center’s multi-phasic identities and development over time
Irwin Venick, Joe Little, and Bob Hartmann reflect on the birth and growth of the Center for Health Services (CHS) over time, tracing its stages of development from its initial Medical School partnership to its later social-science orientation and eventually,… Continued
On the role of institutional support in community-driven change
Bob Hartmann and Irwin Venick respond to Gillian’s question about how they would approach or encourage others to approach similar student and/or community-led projects today. Bob provides insight into what the Coalition did right and what it could have done… Continued
Competing visions and growing pains: on the Center’s origins
Irwin Venick expands on the competing visions between the SHC and the Center for Health Services (CHS), explaining that once the Center was established, Coalitioners faced the challenge of adjusting to a structure they hadn’t had to in previous installments… Continued
On the contrast between Coalition and Center approaches to healthcare in Appalachia
Margaret Ecker and Irwin Venick summarize the differences and ensuing conflict between the Coalition’s and the university’s motivations, priorities, and framework of their approach to healthcare in Appalachia. Irwin makes an important distinction between the Medical School’s focus on community… Continued
The role and impact of MIHOW outreach workers
Barbara Clinton frames the Maternal-Infant Health Outreach Worker Project (MIHOW) as a sustainability-driven next step to the care and relationships initiated by Coalition health fairs. She delineates the role outreach workers filled and the immense impact local women had on… Continued
Criteria for and selection process of outreach workers with MIHOW project
Barbara Clinton explains how partnerships between local community health clinics and the Center for Health Services (CHS) facilitated the development of the Maternal-Infant Health Outreach Worker Project (MIHOW). It was up to the community-run clinics to outline criteria for and… Continued
On the funds acquisition for community-inspired MIHOW project
Barbara Clinton shares how the Center for Health Services (CHS) acquired funding for the Maternal-Infant Health Outreach Worker Project (MIHOW), an effort initiated by Dick Couto’s ongoing attempts to convince the Ford Foundation to invest in Appalachia. She also names… Continued
MPHC: rural health clinic or federally qualified community health center?
James Lovett, CEO of Mountain People’s Health Councils, Inc., recalls when and how he first discovered the differences between rural health clinics, community health centers, and the public health department, along with what it meant for MPHC to be a… Continued
ETRC’s lawsuit against Davidson County Health Department
John Williams shares ETRC’s successful lawsuit against the Health Department in Davidson County. The effort was collaborative alongside other environmental organizations, including Save Our Cumberland Mountains (SOCM), and initiated as a means to mandate the monitoring and enforcement of water… Continued
On the origins of the Jacksboro Clinic
John Kennedy shares the story behind the establishment of the Jacksboro Clinic (1973) at a 2019 Coalition gathering in Nashville. Full footage of the 2019 gathering. Continued
Reflections on the level of care at SHC health fairs
Tom John and Rick Davidson retrospectively comment on the level and quality of care provided at the Student Health Coalition summer health fairs, and how theses experiences shaped their own understanding of and perspective on healthcare. Full footage of… Continued
What the SHC did (and didn’t do) well
Tom John and Rick Davidson share their retrospective thoughts on how the Student Health Coalition succeeded, as well as how, in certain respects, the SHC could have operated differently. These critical reflections offer insight to community organizing efforts today, particularly… Continued
Tom John and Rick Davidson on their ongoing connections with community members
Tom John and Rick Davidson share the depth of their many relationships born from their respective Student Health Coalition experiences, and the long-term impact said connections have had. Full footage of the 2013 interview with Tom John and Rick… Continued
Art Van Zee on the first health fair in St. Charles and early clinic history
Art Van Zee shares about the first health fair in St. Charles, Va. (1973) and expands on the origins of the clinic that still stands today. Recorded March 17th, 2013. Full footage of Art Van Zee’s interview. Continued
The role of community control in structure of Stone Mountain Health Clinics
Art Van Zee discusses the impact of community agency on the success of the St. Charles Clinic and the key role local ownership plays in rural healthcare centers. Recorded March 17th, 2013. Full footage of Art Van Zee’s interview. Continued
Art Van Zee’s message to students today
Art Van Zee discusses how the legacy of St. Charles Clinic may serve as inspiration to students today, and encourages them to harness a belief that they, too, should feel empowered to get involved in social movements. Recorded March 17th,… Continued
History of the St. Charles Clinic ft. Art Van Zee
Art Van Zee, an active participant in the Student Health Coalition’s work in St. Charles, Va., beginning first in 1973 with a visiting summer clinic, discusses the now more established center’s evolution and his role as a physician there. Recorded… Continued
Betty Anderson’s introduction to SOCM
Betty Anderson shares how she first became involved with Save Our Cumberland Mountains (SOCM) and the Student Health Coalition. Included in her account is a story about how she and others responded to opposition of the rural health clinics in… Continued
On the SHC’s provision of hope as fuel for systemic change to rural healthcare
Kate and J.W. Bradley share sweet reflections of the friendships made during the Student Health Coalition’s (SHC’s) community organizing efforts in rural Tennessee, and explain that the organization’s leader, Bill Dow, gave them hope to change what they’d always been… Continued
Dal Macon’s community return and ongoing work post-Student Health Coalition
Dal Macon briefly shares about some of his post-Student Health Coalition (SHC) community projects, including having served on the board of Marie Cirillo‘s Community Land Trust and organized outreach efforts through the Center for Health Services (CHS) at Vanderbilt University.… Continued
The focal role of listening in community organizing
Dal Macon highlights the Student Health Coalition’s (SHC’s) emphasis on listening as the primary agent of sustainable, lasting community change. Solidifying its importance, Dal shares how this philosophy impacted his long-term relationship-building with community members and overall connection to the… Continued
Lewis Lefkowitz on the Student Health Coalition’s key accomplishments
Lewis Lefkowitz recalls what facilitated the Student Health Coalition’s (SHC’s) success. He discusses the organization’s framework of community mobilization and agency, and furthermore highlights the leadership legacy of Kate and J.W. Bradley. Recorded on December 1, 2015. Full footage… Continued
Maureen and Boomer on the Coalition’s Legacy
Maureen O’Connell and Charles “Boomer” Winfrey discuss Save Our Cumberland Mountains (SOCM), tax equalization, and “getting to the root of problems (not just providing services).” Recorded in Nashville, Tenn., May 2013. Continued