NARHC Selects 2024 Bill Finerfrock Health Policy Fellow

Levi Baysinger, Greene County General Hospital, Linton, Indiana

Dear RHC Community,

I want to take a moment to tell you a bit about myself and explain why I am thrilled to participate in the Bill Finerfrock Health Policy Fellowship. I am General Counsel for Greene County General Hospital, a county critical access hospital located in rural Southern Indiana, and its four associated rural health clinics. I grew up in Greene County, Indiana, and cherished the unique experience I gained being raised in a rural community. I am extremely proud of my small-town roots and could think of no better place to start my family and serve my community.

I started my professional career as an emergency department registered nurse in 2014. As an ER nurse, I witnessed a high volume of human tragedy, but I loved caring for and advocating for my patients. I gained an appreciation for our health care infrastructure; however, I was struck by the glaring inadequacies of our health care system to care for particularly vulnerable populations. In 2018, I went to law school to learn more about the legal structure of our health care system with the intention of advocating on behalf of health care professionals and patients once I graduated. I graduated from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2021 with a Juris Doctor degree and a graduate certificate in health care law. After law school, I moved back to Greene County, Indiana and worked as a public defender before I transitioned to my current role as general counsel.

I was introduced to NARHC and the Bill Finerfrock Health Policy Fellowship through our hospital’s CEO. I have since read about Mr. Finerfrock and learned about how his advocacy has been essential to sustain resources for rural health clinics and rural communities. Like Mr. Finerfrock, our CEO is a fierce policy advocate who understands the importance for rural health clinics to be represented, through advocacy organizations like NARHC, and to have their stories told to legislators and policymakers.

I hope to accomplish two primary goals through my participation in the Bill Finerfrock Health Policy Fellowship. First, I hope to learn as much as I can from the NARHC policy team about the NARHC policy efforts and the changes to policy that could have the largest positive impact for RHCs. Second, I hope to further Mr. Finerfrock’s legacy of advocacy and effectively tell my community’s story to policymakers and legislators in order to preserve and increase the health care resources available to our rural communities. I am truly honored to have this incredible opportunity.

I will be working from the NARHC Washington D.C. office for four weeks, beginning on June 17, 2024. I hope to meet many of you during the NARHC Policy Summit June 25-26. During the Fellowship, I can be reached at fellowship@narhc.org.

Sincerely,
Levi Baysinger, RN, BSN, JD