What is National Rural Health Day?
In 2010, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) 
created National Rural Health Day (NRHD) as a way to applaud the ongoing efforts, contributions, and collaborations occurring in rural communities to address the unique challenges in accessing and delivering health care services. In the past eight years, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) has planned, hosted, and participated in this annual event.
Monday, November 18
Inaugural NIH Rural Health Day Seminar
Webcast from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm | Register for the webinar.
Today, approximately 20% of the U.S. population—about 60 million people—live in rural areas, which make up 97% of the land area in the United States. People living in rural America have less access to health care and are more likely than residents of urban areas to die from heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic lower respiratory disease. The disparities and health care challenges facing rural America call for additional rigorous scientific research, successful implementation of evidence-based practice in rural settings and the use of innovative technology to improve rural health outcomes.
The Inaugural NIH Rural Health Seminar—co-sponsored by NCATS, the National Institute of Mental Health and the National institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, with additional contributions from the National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute on Aging, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the National institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, and the National institute of Nursing Research—will bring together researchers, medical practitioners and others to explore topics in rural health and to share research ideas for how innovations in clinical and translational science could improve rural health outcomes.
Tuesday, November 19
Addressing the Opioid Crisis in Rural Communities: Leveraging Technology Innovations to Support Maternal and Child Health Care
Noon – 1pm ET | Register for the webinar.
Dial-in: 888-989-5313; Participant Code: 6171831
Around 2013 the opioid epidemic took shape as a public health crisis, and nowhere has that crisis been more evident than in our rural communities. The crisis has been manifesting in soaring rates for opioid use disorder and overdose deaths that have affected every aspect of life in so many communities in rural America. An especially hard-hit population is pregnant and parenting women with opioid disorder and their infants. Rates have significantly increased in the states for infants affected with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) with soaring Medicaid costs to treat the infants, many of whom are born in rural hospital settings.
In this webinar, you will:
- Explore best practices in the continuum of care and care coordination for pregnant/parenting women with OUD and their infants (mother and baby dyad)
- Improve access to care for the mother and baby dyad in rural communities
- Learn about a telehealth innovation:
- A mobile application that can provide evidence-based information for front line practitioners for the diagnosis and treatment of NOWS in nurseries and neonatal intensive care units. Explore how in real time clinicians can deliver optimal care to every mother and baby dyad, and promote optimal outcomes.
Agriculture Workers Mental Health Twitter Chat
2 – 3 pm ET
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is hosting a Rural Health Day Twitter chat on agriculture worker mental health issues. Throughout the chat, we will discuss the prevalence of this issue and the resources that are available to support our rural communities. Join us by using the hashtag #AgMentalHealth!
Rural Suicide Prevention in Farm and Ranch Communities
3:30 – 4:45 pm ET | Join the webinar.
Dial-In: 888-989-7695; Participant Passcode: 6473800
This webinar, hosted by HRSA's Office of Regional Operations-Denver, is designed for rural providers, organizations, and communities. The purpose of the webinar is to enhance knowledge of stress and suicide in rural areas, with a focus on farm and ranch communities, and to highlight stress/suicide prevention activities. The webinar will feature examples of suicide prevention programs designed to address agricultural stress and suicide from a community-based perspective. Suicide prevention resources will be provided. No registration is required.
Wednesday, November 20
Introducing the Rural Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Toolkit
Noon – 1 pm ET | Register for the webinar.
The Rural Health Information Hub and the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis will present the Rural Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Toolkit , which is designed to help rural communities identify and implement chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) programs. Developed by NORC on behalf of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), the toolkit compiles evidence-based and promising approaches and resources to support rural communities seeking to develop and expand COPD programs. This toolkit presents practical strategies that can help rural communities identify successful COPD models; address common implementation challenges; and prepare for long-term sustainability.
In addition to an overview of the toolkit, this webinar will feature two speakers who will describe lessons learned related to establishing and sustaining COPD programs.
Improving Antibiotic Stewardship in Critical Access Hospitals: Strategies and Success Stories
1 – 2 pm ET | Register for the webinar.
During #USAAW19, tune in to a FREE webinar with continuing education, Improving Antibiotic Stewardship in Critical Access Hospitals: Strategies and Success Stories, co-hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and HRSA's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. Leading experts will discuss evidence-based strategies to improve antibiotic prescribing in rural hospitals and share stewardship success stories in critical access hospitals.
Rural Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Twitter Chat
2 – 3 pm ET
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is hosting a Rural Health Day Twitter chat on rural substance use disorder (SUD) issues. Throughout the chat, we will discuss the prevalence of this issue and the resources that are available to support our rural communities. Join us by using the hashtag #RuralSUD!
Rural Virtual Job Fair
6 – 10:15 pm ET
HRSA's Bureau of Health Workforce will host a Rural Focused Virtual Job Fair, a free, interactive event held online to allow primary care providers a chance to talk about their National Health Service Corps (NHSC)- or NURSE Corps-approved site. Recruiters discussed their organization's benefits, their clinical environments (including approaches to integrated care), the populations they serve, and the rewards of providing care in their rural communities to job seekers .
Thursday, November 21
HRSA's Celebration of National Rural Health Day
| Time (all times ET) | Description |
|---|---|
| 9:45 am | Kick-off with HRSA Administrator, Thomas J. Engels |
| 10:00 - 10:30 am | Keynote with HHS Deputy Secretary, Eric Hargan Round table: Why is Rural Health Important?
|
| 10:30 - 11:30 am | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Rural Innovations presentation with CMS Office of Minority Health
|
| 11:30 - 1:00 pm | Interactive sessions (On-site only)
|
| 1:00 - 1:30 pm | Office of Regional Operations Region 8 Denver Rural Health Innovation – Rural Opioids Program |
| 1:30 - 2:00 pm | Bureau of Primary Health Care Rural Health Innovation – Rural Health Center |
| 2:00 - 2:30 pm | Maternal and Child Health Bureau Rural Value Program Highlight – Rural Maternal and Child Health |
| 2:30 - 3:00 pm | Bureau of Health Workforce Rural Health Innovation – Rural Provider Training Program |
Twitter Chat on Access to Funding for Rural Health
1pm ET
The Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) will host a Access to Funding for Rural Health Twitter Chat discussion on funding opportunities available to rural organizations, including how to overcome barriers, where to find funding, and what factors make rural communities successful. Please use the hashtags #RuralHealthChat and #PowerofRural to tweet with experts from around the country who are excited to share their knowledge.
The Art of Telling Your Power of Rural Story featuring the Award-Winning Documentary Film, The Providers
2 – 3pm ET
Set against the backdrop of the physician shortage and opioid epidemic in rural America, The Providers follows three health care providers and their patients and shows the awe-inspiring courage, commitment, and, tenacity that we know to be the real Power of Rural.
During this extraordinary National Rural Health Day session, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) CEO, Teryl Eisinger, will lead an insightful and inspiring discussion with Anna Moot-Levin and Matt Probst, PA-C. Together, they will offer participants a window into the world of making the film, and discuss what they hoped (and has been) the outcome of telling the El Centro story.
Using the discussion guide, and by submitting questions in advance of the live session, participants can tap into the expertise of the film’s creators and the experience of a rural primary care provider facing what many would consider to be insurmountable challenges.
We'll also explore how The Providers can serve as a script to help others understand how to approach telling their own stories as a means to guide informed policy, address the social determinants of health, and inspire collaboration, innovation, education, and more meaningful communication around initiatives that hold promise for creating healthier communities across rural America.
