Virtual Care in Rural Healthcare

Hosted by the AONL-AHA Learning Community

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 at 11 AM CT

Virtual Care in Rural Healthcare

Virtual care is reshaping what is possible for rural and remote hospitals by expanding access, strengthening clinical support and helping teams sustain high-quality care close to home. This session will explore three complementary perspectives on virtual care in rural health care: scaling virtual services across a statewide network through Tele-ICU, virtual nursing and virtual sitter programs; preparing a rural hospital for virtual nursing implementation through strategy, infrastructure, vendor selection, financial planning and workforce design; and delivering high-level care on a remote island through a Tele-ICU-supported model. Attendees will gain practical insight into how nurse leaders can design, adapt and sustain virtual care models that support patient safety, staff confidence, operational reliability and rural care delivery.

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify practical strategies for designing, implementing and sustaining virtual care models in rural and remote health care settings, including considerations related to infrastructure, workforce planning, clinical support, patient safety and operational scalability.

About the Presenters

Emily M. Stevens, DHA, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Director of Nursing, Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center

Emily is a dynamic professional with over 34 years of progressive leadership experience in nursing leadership, clinical practice and education. She specializes in building effective teams, fostering a strong evidence-based practice culture for clinical staff to grow and learn and implementing system-level changes that create and deliver excellence and high-quality patient care.

Julie Tromblee, RN, MSN, MBA, Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer, Elizabethtown Community Hospital

Julie is a Registered Professional Nurse with 34 years of rural nursing experience, including 14 years as a Chief Nursing Officer. Her aim is to improve nurses' well-being through available resources and nursing leadership in today's healthcare climate. She focuses on patient experience and employee engagement as key drivers of success as healthcare continually evolves.

Paul D. Malito, MHA, BSN, CAVRN, RN, Director of Nursing Services - eMedicine, UAB Medicine

Paul D. Malito is an experienced healthcare leader committed to advancing innovation and excellence in patient care. As Director of Nursing for UAB eMedicine, he leads the strategic development and operations of virtual healthcare services to enhance patient outcomes and expand access to care. With a strong background in clinical practice, administration and strategic planning, and holding advanced degrees in healthcare administration and nursing, he has helped position UAB eMedicine as a recognized model for high-quality virtual care delivery.

The American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Learning Community Webinars offer attendees the opportunity to earn up to 1.0 contact hours.
AONL is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, provider number 15740.

By attending a Learning Community Webinar offered by the American Organization for Nursing Leadership participants may earn up to 1 ACHE Qualifying Education Hours toward initial certification or recertification of the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) designation.