How Lifestyle Medicine Is Transforming Rural Healthcare

Welcome to another episode of *Flip Your Script*, a vodcast by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, hosted by ACLM President Dr. Padmaja Patel. In each episode, we explore five key takeaways on how lifestyle medicine is helping clinicians and leaders reimagine the future of healthcare. This episode, **"How Lifestyle Medicine Is Transforming Rural Healthcare,"** features Dr. Kathleen Findlay, a triple board-certified lifestyle medicine physician, Chief of Staff at Western Wisconsin Health, and a leader in advancing innovative models of care in rural communities. Dr. Findlay shares how lifestyle medicine is helping redefine healthcare by empowering patients to make sustainable behavior changes, addressing the root causes of chronic disease, and creating systems of care that improve health for individuals and entire communities. The conversation explores how lifestyle medicine can transform healthcare through shared medical appointments, interdisciplinary collaboration, personalized care, and community partnerships. Dr. Findlay discusses why lifestyle medicine is "simple—but not easy," the importance of meeting patients where they are, and how small, sustainable changes can create lasting improvements in health. Together with Dr. Patel, she also highlights the unique opportunities and challenges of delivering lifestyle medicine in rural communities, addressing social determinants of health, and building healthcare systems that support both patients and clinicians. If you're interested in lifestyle medicine, rural healthcare, chronic disease prevention, shared medical appointments, social determinants of health, behavior change, preventive medicine, whole-person care, health equity, healthcare transformation, community health, patient-centered care, physician leadership, or innovative models of care, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Learn more about Dr. Findlay's program "Simple Health": https://connect.lifestylemedicine.org/viewdocument/simple-health-kathleen-findlay Subscribe to ACLM on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsjJsNjWtUf30LiofumGRfQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the medical professional society for physicians and other professionals dedicated to clinical and worksite practice of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable healthcare system. Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.  Lifestyle medicine-certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections—also provides effective prevention for these conditions. Connect with ACLM Online! Visit lifestylemedicine.org: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lifestylemedicine.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find ACLM on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lifestylemed/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find ACLM on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/ACLifeMed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find ACLM on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/aclifemed/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find ACLM on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-college-of-lifestyle-medicine/