Rural Health Book Club

Waco AHEC is proud to invite you to our book club. We will be discussing issues in the healthcare field through reading accessible texts, and then discussing the materials at our meeting on the last Wednesday of every month. Reading the text is not mandatory for attendance.

AHEC Scholars can earn up to two didactic hours each month by participating in RHBC. One can be earned by reading the text and completing the linked Google form for the month. The second can be earned by attending the discussion session.

How does it work?

Each month we will read a book concerning rural health. Scholars will have the opportunity to answer questions about the text in order to earn credit for reading the book, and then an additional hour for attending the meeting. Community members can register on Zoom without taking the quiz.

The book club meeting itself is held on at 12:00 PM CST on the last Wednesday of every month. Attendees are encouraged to discuss their experience with the book, as well as any connections they’ve found in their own practice.

Healthcare professionals and students do not frequently have space to discuss the social, political, and intersectional issues they may see every day. We’re here to provide a safe, accessible space to change that.

We’ll Fight It Out Here by David Chanoff and Louis W. Sullivan

Racism in the US healthcare system has been deliberately undermining Black health care professionals and exacerbating health disparities among Black Americans for centuries. These health disparities only became a mainstream issue on the agenda of US health leaders and policy makers because a group of health professions schools at Historically Black Colleges and Universities banded together to fight for health equity.

February 28th, 12:00 PM CST

Baby Making for Everybody by Marea Goodman and Ray Rachlin

In Baby Making for Everybody, queer millennial midwives Ray Rachlin and Marea Goodman use their professional expertise to demystify the dizzying process of pursuing parenthood as queer and solo people, offering detailed, gender-affirming, body-positive advice. Combining practical information with personal narratives and first-person community wisdom, this book provides prospective parents with the information they need to grow their families.

March 27th, 12:00 PM CST

Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam

Drawing on vast new data that reveal Americans' changing behavior, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures- whether they be PTA, church, or political parties- have disintegrated. Until the publication of this groundbreaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health, nor had anyone exalted their fundamental power in creating a society that is happy, healthy, and safe.

April 24th, 12:00 PM CST

 FAQs

  • The RHBC is held on the last Wednesday of every month, at 12:00 PM CST.

  • No! Both Scholars and community members are welcome to attend to participate in the discussion, regardless of if they’ve read the book or not.

    Scholars will earn one didactic hour for attending the session, regardless of if they’ve read the book.

  • No! Scholars may earn one didactic hour through reading the book and answering the quiz questions linked underneath each month’s book.

  • Most books are available at your local library, or through inter-library loan. Audio book copies can also be accessed through Libby or cloudLibrary. If you are in the Waco area, physical copies are available on a first come, first served basis.

    Scholars who need a copy can contact caelie.morris@txaheceast.org or their local center for an audio or ebook copy.

  • On top of building community and sharing knowledge, book club attendees who attend 3 meetings in a semester will earn a Starbucks gift card. Be there or be square!

  • Please reach out to Morris at caelie.morris@txaheceast.org

    They are happy to help with any additional accommodations or questions.