Rachel LaFlame, MPH
Consultant
Health Management Associates
Columbus, OH
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Rachel LaFlame is a public health professional passionate about advancing policies and programs that strengthen community health systems. She prioritizes work that bridges the gap between public health practice and policy, supporting efforts to improve health outcomes, strengthen healthcare delivery, and promote equitable access to care.
With Health Management Associates (HMA), Rachel has contributed to a range of public health and healthcare projects as a project manager, bringing organization, attention to detail, and cross-team coordination to complex initiatives. Her work has included harm reduction program support, community needs assessments, program evaluation, operational and financial audits, crisis intervention training, healthcare technology market research, behavioral health workforce development, and revenue cycle optimization.
Rachel’s role often involves synthesizing data into actionable insights, coordinating stakeholder engagement, and ensuring deliverables are met on time and to a high standard. She collaborates with clients and partners to align project goals with community needs, policy priorities, and best practices in healthcare delivery.
Before joining HMA, Rachel worked as the urgent care coordinator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. She contributed to administrative tasks while helping facilitate the transition of the new urgent care division. Rachel is also experienced in quality improvement, having demonstrated her practical problem-solving skills at Summa Heath during her master’s practicum. She revamped research methodologies, analyzed data, and provided valuable recommendations for addressing patient marijuana use within a healthcare context.
Rachel’s experience extends to senior care where she assisted with operations management and events at Arrow Senior Living during the COVID-19 pandemic and helped ensure the safety and well-being of residents. She also has experience in the LGBTQ+ space, working as a graduate assistant at Kent State University’s LGBTQ+ Center. She helped facilitate impactful LGBTQ+ Safe Space and Trans 101 training workshops for a diverse audience of students and faculty, created health education content and programming, and managed a team of interns. She also played a key role in successful fundraising campaigns and strategic social media efforts that raised funds for the LGBTQ+ Center’s emergency fund.
Rachel earned a master’s degree in public health with a specialization in health policy and management from Kent State University. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in global health and a certificate in bioethics from the University of Cincinnati.