On Demand — Health on the Plains Coffee Hour, Featuring Sarah Jane Tribble

4 Min Read

Jun 17, 2026

By

Wyatt J. Beckman, M.P.H.
Promotional image for “Health on the Plains,” featuring a wide, tilled farm field under a blue sky with scattered clouds. Bold black text reads “HEALTH” with “ON THE PLAINS” beneath it. On the lower left, a coffee cup graphic with steam and a leaf inside it sits above the words “COFFEE HOUR” and the URL “khi.org.” The bottom right shows the Kansas Health Institute logo with the text: “KANSAS HEALTH INSTITUTE – Informing Policy. Improving Health – khi.org.

What is the central story of rural health in 2026 and what does that tell us about the path ahead?

On June 16, KHI hosted a conversation with Sarah Jane Tribble, Chief Rural Correspondent for KFF Health News. A Kansas native and award-winning reporter, Tribble brought both lived Kansas experience and deep reporting expertise to the discussion.

As part of the Health on the Plains Coffee Hour series, the conversation explored the nuanced story of rural health care and current challenges and opportunities facing rural communities today — including hospital closures, rapidly advancing technology and the Rural Health Transformation Program.

Event recording posted below.

Featured Speaker

Sarah Jane Tribble, Chief Rural Correspondent, KFF Health News

Sarah Jane Tribble, senior correspondent, is the lead reporter on the rural health desk of KFF Health News. She created the organization’s first narrative podcast, “Where It Hurts,” about the closure of a rural Kansas hospital. An Emmy winner, she has received honors for her work from the National Press Club, the National Institute for Health Care Management, and the Association of Health Care Journalists. Before joining KFF Health News, she covered the health care industry in Cleveland for NPR and PBS, and spent more than a decade as a reporter for major newspapers from the Carolinas to California.

Explore the resources shared by Sarah Jane Tribble

About Kansas Health Institute

The Kansas Health Institute supports effective policymaking through nonpartisan research, education and engagement. KHI believes evidence-based information, objective analysis and civil dialogue enable policy leaders to be champions for a healthier Kansas. Established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, KHI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization based in Topeka.

Learn More About KHI