Nurse Practitioner Amber Bahm of the Community Health Center of Yavapai was awarded the 2022 Community Star Award for excellence in rural health care.
A native of Nebraska, Bahm started her career in social work before switching to nursing and earning a doctorate to become a nurse practitioner. She has been working at the Cottonwood office of the Community Health Center ofYavapai for five years.
The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health awards one community star per state each year in conjunction with National Rural Health Day. The Community Star Recognition Program honors those working to advance rural health care through innovation, education, collaboration or communication.
Out of the three CHCY offices, the Cottonwood office is the only one to be considered rural due to its location and population size. Rural health care differs significantly from health care in larger cities in terms of what is available and accessible. For example, Cottonwood does not have an ear, nose and throat doctor. Patients who need to consult specialists have to drive an hour to either Prescott or Flagstaff and many cannot afford the time or money it costs to get there.
Working in rural healthcare “takes a lot of being flexible, being a good communicator and being willing to build bridges with other resources in the community to help patients get the care they need, even if they can’t physically see those specialists,” said Bahm. A lot of the patients Bahm sees are either underinsured or uninsured and they can’t afford to see a specialist, or the one specialist in the area might not take their insurance, another of the potential limitations that affect rural health care.
This year’s award theme was “Driving Change — Going the Extra Mile,” which Bahm and CHCY exemplify. “I think everybody who’s working in rural health care is working really, really hard and everybody probably deserves an award if you’re still in rural healthcare after COVID,” said Bahm. “It does feel really nice to be recognized by my peers, my patients, their families, for the work that I’m doing, but it’s not just the work that I’m doing. It’s the work that we’re all doing. Everybody in rural health is doing amazing work.”
Bahm is board certified in advanced diabetes management and is currently working on a new program at the clinic for improving diabetes outcomes. The clinic itself is working on offering telehealth services through community libraries over the next year. They are hoping to have booths set up in these libraries where patients can check their temperature and blood pressure and connect with a healthcare provider via video. Bahm stressed the importance of having good internet connectivity in rural areas so patients can access clinical services without having to be physically present.
“Anyone can use the clinic, underinsured or no insurance … we are really here for the whole community,” said Bahm.
For more information, visit the CHCY’s website atchcy.org
