What happens when families live in communities where access to healthcare, education, childcare, and economic opportunity are all in short supply?
Join us for the next Light Lab Live discussion as we explore the realities facing many of North Carolina's rural counties, where too often limited healthcare access, persistent poverty, childcare shortages, underfunded schools, and poor health outcomes converge to create significant barriers for children, families, and communities.
- What defines a rural health and service desert and how these conditions emerge.
- How healthcare shortages, poverty, childcare gaps, educational inequities, and limited infrastructure intersect to affect family well-being.
- Why rural challenges are often interconnected rather than separate issues.
- How social determinants of health compound one another to influence outcomes across generations.
- The impact of healthcare access shortages on maternal health, child health, and preventive care.
Who Should Attend
Healthcare providers, social workers, home visitors, educators, early childhood professionals, public health practitioners, community leaders, nonprofit staff, policymakers, and anyone committed to strengthening outcomes for rural children and families.