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
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will host their first celebration of National Rural Health Day with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Associate Administrator Tom Morris.
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.
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 Webinar
3 – 4 pm ET
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Region 8 Office of Regional Operations (ORO) is hosting a webinar on Rural Suicide Prevention.
Wednesday, November 20
RHIhub Webinar on COPD
Noon – 1 pm ET
The Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) will be hosting a webinar on a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in celebration of National Rural Health Day.
Antibiotic Stewardship Webinar
1 – 2 pm ET
This educational activity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is designed to review updated information on common antibiotic use problems. Discussion of case-based scenarios will be used to demonstrate how to identify and prioritize antibiotic-related problems and explain examples of employing effective stewardship strategies in the acute care setting.
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 Acting 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
|
| 1:00 - 1:30 pm | ORO Region 8 Carbon County, UT: Community has invigorated their community coalition and enhanced integrated access to treatment, naloxone, syringe exchange, and recovery. |
| 1:30 - 2:00 pm | ARCare - Bureau of Primary Health Care Rural Health Innovation |
| 2:00 - 2:30 pm | Maternal Child Health Bureau Rural Value Program Highlight |
| 2:30 - 3:00 pm | Bureau of Health Workforce Rural Health Innovation |
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.
