Kayla Combs works with rural facilities and communities across the southern region of the U.S. to connect them with the resources and technical assistance offered by the RHRC and Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center. In this role, Kayla supports over 25 rural emergency hospitals. Before joining the RHRC, she served as the Flex Program Director at the Kentucky Office of Rural Health for over ten years and later supported the Flex Program as a Program Specialist at the National Rural Health Resource Center. She holds a Master of Health Administration from the University of Kentucky and has a strong background in grant management, hospital operations, and healthcare improvement initiatives. Originally from rural southeastern Kentucky, Kayla now enjoys life at her new home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.