Nurses Leading the Future of Rural Health

Americans living in rural areas are more likely to die early from cancer, heart disease, and stroke, than those living in urban areas. A key reason for this difference? Limited access to health care.

Elizabeth Castillo has spent her nursing career improving access to primary care for rural communities in California. And as an associate professor in the School of Nursing, Castillo has strengthened California’s rural health care workforce by training UCSF advanced practice nursing students within rural communities where they plan to work.

On this episode of Illuminating Health, Castillo shares how her childhood in California’s San Joaquin Valley shaped her understanding of health care access and inspired her career path, and discusses why nurses are uniquely equipped to lead efforts to increase primary care access in rural communities. 
 
The guest host for this episode is Athen Kegler, a current student in BSN Entry to the Doctor of Nursing Practice pathway, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner specialty.