As if our healthcare delivery system doesn’t have enough problems, wherever it is located, but often those concerns pale in comparison to the needs of folks who live a distance from metropolitan centers. Hospitals are closing at an unhealthy clip in rural areas and the types of care within others is limited by the availability of doctors and other professionals.  Then, of course, there are other barriers to care, including transportation issues, health literacy, and the inability to deal with the behavioral health needs of the population.  This is all a prescription for lower life expectancies and generally sub-par outcomes.  Dr. Traci Marquis-Eydman, our guest, is an associate Professor of Medical Sciences at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.  She is also a family physician and an advocate for primary care and healthcare equity for rural and underserved populations.  She has helped to put a focus on the needs of rural populations at the University, given her experiences in northern Maine.