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, with Barbara Clinton as director in the late 1970s, to its relationship with the Nursing …
On the Center’s multi-phasic identities and development over time Read More »
Bob Hartmann, Irwin Venick, and Joe Little reflect on how the SHC process became institutionalized and the widespread (but split) resistance to it. Bob concludes that if they’d known more about how universities work or approached the formalization process retrospectively, student resistance may not have been (or wouldn’t now be) so vehement. Irwin and Joe …
Resistance to institutionalization: then and now Read More »
Joe Little reflects on the influence of Coalition (and Center) participation on himself (and others) as an individual, choosing to think on how it impacted so many students in positive and profound ways despite the conflict that surrounded the Center for Health Services’ (CHS) formation. See the full length panel discussion to learn more about the …
Positive impact despite Coalition/Center conflict: Joe Little reflects Read More »
Joe Little frames Tricia Nixon’s visit to the Center for Health Services (CHS) as a microcosm for the conflict that was going on at the time: some SHC and/or CHS participants and alumni attended the meeting, entertaining the dialogue that other Coalition and Center affiliates protested just outside. See the full length panel discussion to learn more …
Joe Little on Tricia Nixon’s visit and the Coalition/Center conflict Read More »
Irwin Venick and Joe Little define the central conflict pertaining to the development of the Center for Health Services (CHS) as the challenge of retaining a Bill-like figure to keep the spirit, vision, and focus of the Coalition alive, yet also creating a stabilizing structure or institutional landing pad for transitioning projects between transient students–particularly …
Coalescing visionary spirit with stabilizing structure: on the Center’s origins Read More »
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 medicine and public health and the SHC’s vehicle of community organizing that valued more grassroots, …
On the contrast between Coalition and Center approaches to healthcare in Appalachia Read More »
Bob Hartmann shares the suspicion and intimidation he and others felt in the wake of developing the Center for Health Services (CHS), since the fuel behind it seemed to be coming primarily from and out of the Medical School for purposes less relevant to the core SHC vision (and which certainly didn’t align with Bill …
SHC resistance to university-driven formalization: on the Center’s origins Read More »
Margaret Ecker facilitates a discussion among Irwin Venick, Bob Hartmann, and Joe Little about the philosophies and guiding principles of the SHC. All agree a central facet of the Coalition’s approach was a collective understanding of the local community’s role in identifying and defining their needs. As Irwin puts it, “community knows best.” Bob and …
Joe Little shares his perspective on the impetus behind the establishment of the Center for Health Services, based on his own recollection and from his deep dive into the archives. Toward the end of this clip, he also briefly touches on the conflict that later transpired as a result of divergent approaches to community medicine–among …
Joe Little on the early days of the Center for Health Services Read More »
Sue C. Love participated in the Rural Student Health Coalition in the early 1970s as a medical worker and attended medical school at Vanderbilt University. At the same time, her future husband Cliff Love served as a community worker. Included are black-and-white photographs of a SHC meeting from the summer of 1972 at a cabin …
