For the third consecutive year, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) and all 50 State Offices of Rural Health (SORHs) will join forces with other local, state, and national rural health care providers and stakeholders to celebrate National Rural Health Day.
America’s rural communities face unique health care concerns: a lack of health care providers; accessibility issues, particularly in terms of transportation and technology; and affordability issues as the result of larger percentages of un-/underinsured citizens and greater out-of-pocket health costs. Meanwhile, rural hospitals and health systems face declining reimbursement rates and disproportionate funding levels that make it challenging to meet the physical, social and economic needs of their communities.
NOSORH launched National Rural Health Day in 2011 to increase awareness of these issues and highlight the efforts of SORHs and others in addressing those issues
National Rural Health Day events are being planned nationwide by SORHs and others on Nov 21. As in year’s past, NOSORH will host a series of free webinars on National Rural Health Day. Scheduled topics, times, and speakers include:
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AgriSafe: Protecting the People Who Feed America (Noon EST) – Natalie Roy, Executive Director and Carolyn Sheridan, Clinical Director, AgriSafe Network (Registration)
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Rural 101: The Basics of Rural Health (1 p.m. EST) – Kristine Sande, Program Director, Rural Assistance Center (Registration)
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Population Based Health and Health Promotion in Rural (2:00 p.m. EST) – Lynda Bergsma, Program Director, Arizona Center of Rural Health; Caroline Ford, Former Director, Nevada State Office of Rural Health (Registration)
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The Affordable Care Act in Rural America (3 p.m. EST) – Tom Morris, Associate Administrator, Deepti Loharikar, Public Health Analyst, and Aaron Fischbach, Public Health Analyst, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (Registration)
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Resources for Recruitment, Networking, and Telehealth (4 p.m. EST) – Mike Shimmens, Executive Director, National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network; Rebecca Davis, Executive Director, National Cooperative of Health Networks Association; Kathy Hsu Wibberly, Director, Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center (Registration)
NOSORH is also planning to host a National Rural Health Day Press Conference/Celebration at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. at 10 a.m. EST on Nov. 21; details will be forthcoming. To learn more about National Rural Health Day, visit ; to learn more about NOSORH, visit .
Contacts: Bill Hessert at 814.360.1964, billh@nosorh.org; Teryl Eisinger at 586.850.5257, teryle@nosorh.org