About
Upstream is hosted by Azul Heart and Monarch Futures.
The moment we're meeting
Rural health is having a moment. And we want to help shine more light and also be part of the solution. The Rural Health Transformation Program is bringing significant federal funding into states, while rural hospitals navigate financial pressure, workforce constraints, Medicaid changes, and rapidly changing technology. At the same time, patients and caregivers are living with the consequences of those decisions every day.
Upstream brings those perspectives together. Not for another afternoon of people talking about rural healthcare. To actually work on it.
Why "Upstream"
We called it Upstream because that's where the work has to happen, before the decisions are made, before the funding is allocated, before the consequences reach the patient. If we want to change what's happening downstream in our communities, we have to start earlier and we have to start together.
Who's behind it
Amy Oliver: Amy is the founder of Azul Heart, a healthcare advisory and advocacy practice. She spent years in B2B healthcare marketing learning how brilliant people build brilliant solutions and then watching those solutions stall out because nobody thought to introduce the right people to each other. Upstream is her answer: put those people in one room and let the conversation be honest, collaborative, and vulnerable instead of polished and postured.
Erica Olenski: Erica is the founder of Monarch Futures and August's Artists, and a Board Certified Patient Advocate. From 2018 to 2025, she was the primary caregiver and care coordinator for her son August through brain cancer, stroke, and complex disability, working alongside researchers, advocates, and state leaders along the way. She believes innovation that begins with a life is the only kind that ever reaches one, and brings that to everything Upstream is built to be.
What we want to learn together
This first Upstream is intentionally a pilot. We're not pretending we know exactly what the model looks like six months from now. We want to see what happens when you put the right people together, create enough structure to make the conversation productive, and give people permission to be honest about what isn't working. After the event, we'll ask: what worked, what didn't, who was missing, where can we take Upstream next. We cannot wait to see where Upstream can go, and the change it can drive.
Event location
Fawcett Event Center
2400 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, OH 43210
Located on Ohio State's campus