Kevin Bennett understands the challenges of rural health care delivery — and he sees the opportunities. He believes the S.C. Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare can be a leader in health care reform and delivery, able to teach urban areas about resilience, creativity and problem solving.
“This center is a unique model,” says Bennett, who is also the incoming president of the National Rural Health Association. “When I tell people about it across the country, they are kind of shocked.”
Bennett, who grew up in rural Virginia and earned his doctorate from USC in 2004, has focused his career on the vulnerable and underserved. It’s a population he believes is vital to the future of health care delivery.
“I believe rural can lead the way instead of getting the scraps,” he says. “My overarching goal with this work is to not only meet the needs, but to create effective, efficient, wonderful, impactful programs that others can emulate within the state, within urban areas and across the country.”
