We celebrated National Rural Health Day on Thursday, November 16, 2023. The theme was "Innovation in Rural Health Care Delivery." We spotlighted how rural health care providers deliver innovative, affordable, and coordinated care to the 61 million Americans who call rural communities home. Our keynote event was a discussion with our federal partners on rural health innovations.
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 - 232 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
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
CMS and partners discuss strategies to enroll more people living in rural areas in health insurance, improve health equity and build partnerships. They shared 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?
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
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
Bureau of Health Workforce, HRSA
We hosted a Virtual Job Fair for rural health care job seekers. This event connected health care professionals with representatives from 50 health care facilities serving rural communities across the country.
Thursday, November 16th, 2023
HRSA KEYNOTE EVENT: Federal Rural Partners Webinar
HRSA and rural leaders from across the federal government 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.
Speakers:
Tom Morris, Moderator and Associate Administrator of HRSA's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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
National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH)
Centers Diseases for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Explore 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
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Connect2Health Task Force
The roundtable brings together thought leaders from the public and private sectors, representing various disciplines engaged in addressing the maternal health crisis in the United States. Explore the critical role of both maternal health and broadband connectivity in shaping the future of maternity care.
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.