This year, we celebrate National Rural Health Day on Thursday, November 16, 2023. The theme is "Innovation in Rural Health Care Delivery." We are spotlighting how rural health care providers deliver innovative, affordable, and coordinated care to the 61 million Americans who call rural communities home. Join us on Thursday, November 16 for our keynote event: a discussion on rural health innovations with our federal partners!
A Proclamation on National Rural Health Day, 2023 | The White House
HHS Celebrates National Rural Health Day | HHS.gov
See how we invested in rural communities across the country (PDF - 219 KB)
See how we invested in rural communities in your state
Readout: HHS Hosts Roundtable Marking National Rural Health Day
Events for National Rural Health Day
Thursday, November 9th, 2023
Improving Access to Health Care Coverage in Rural Communities with Medicaid and CHIP (Registration required)
2 – 3 p.m. ET
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
CMS and partners discuss strategies to enroll more people living in rural areas in health insurance. They discuss ways to improve health equity and show the importance of building partnerships. They share tools that support outreach and enrollment.
Speakers:
Darci Graves, Office of Minority Health, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Alexa McKinley, National Rural Health Association
Hailey Gutzmer, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Beverly Lofton, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Porter Novelli, Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign
Wednesday, November 15th, 2023
How Does the Definition of "Rural" Impact Research?
2 – 3 p.m. ET
Rural Health Research Gateway
Learn about the importance of rural definitions and how those definitions impact research.
Our presenters answer the questions:
- "What should I take into account when determining rural definitions for my research study?"
- "As a non-researcher, what should I look for in rural definitions when reading a study or brief?"
Speakers:
Dr. Janice Probst, Rural and Minority Health Research Center
Dr. George Pink, North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Growing Rural Healthcare Workforce: Recruitment and Retention (Register now)
2 – 3 p.m. ET
United States Department of Agriculture
Learn about programs to better grow and sustain the health care workforce in rural communities. Hear about creative approaches, best practices and tools to support recruiting and retaining the rural health workforce.
Speakers:
Ben Anderson, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Mike Shimmens, 3RNet
HRSA Virtual Job Fair for Rural Communities
6 – 9 p.m. ET
Bureau of Health Workforce, HRSA
Job Seekers: Register now!
HRSA is hosting a Virtual Job Fair on November 15 for rural health care job seekers. This event connects health care professionals with representatives from 50 health care facilities serving rural communities across the country.
We will promote job vacancies for rural health care facilities ONLY.
Thursday, November 16th, 2023
HRSA KEYNOTE EVENT: Federal Rural Partners Webinar
Join HRSA and rural leaders from across the federal government to discuss innovations in rural health care delivery. Learn about federal programs that promote new approaches to increase access to health services for patients in rural areas. Moderated by Tom Morris, Associate Administrator of HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.
Speakers:
Humberto Carvalho, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Darci Graves, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Diane Hall, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Peter Kaboli, US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Kellie Kubena, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Benjamin Smith, Indian Health Service (IHS)
The Power of Rural in Action: CDC and State Strategies for Rural Health
3 – 4 p.m. ET
National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH)
Centers Diseases for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The presentation explores state and national strategies to improve the well-being of rural Americans. Hear from the newly established CDC Office of Rural Health about their mission and vision. Learn about successful case studies from Texas and Virginia.
Speaker:
Diane Hall, CDC Office of Rural Health
Friday, November 17th, 2023
The Connected Future of Maternity Care: Intersecting Maternal Health and Broadband Data
10:30 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. ET
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Connect2Health Task Force
The roundtable aims to bring together thought leaders from the public and private sectors, representing various disciplines engaged in addressing the maternal health crisis in the United States. Our focus will be on exploring the critical role of both maternal health and broadband connectivity in shaping the future of maternity care.
Register by Wednesday, November 15th
Why do we celebrate National Rural Health Day?
Since 2010, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health set aside the third Thursday of every November to celebrate National Rural Health Day.
National Rural Health Day is an opportunity to celebrate the “power of rural.” We use this day to highlight the unique health care challenges that rural people face. Then, we show how our programs and policies, and the efforts of our partners and stakeholders, help address and reduce health care disparities in rural communities.