Rural leadership conference day one roundup

Over 1,300 rural leaders are gathered at the 2026 AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference in San Antonio this week. Discussions are taking place on strategies and innovation to advance health care in rural America. 

Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health and immediate past chair of the AHA Board of Trustees, said, "There’s no doubt that we are at an inflection point for rural health care. But when I think about rural health care, we are defined by that can-do attitude. No matter what happens, we are all in.”

Attendees also took part in other sessions, including topics on governance, innovation, workforce and more, such as:

• Practical solutions to assess workforce well-being, track resilience metrics and implement strategies to reduce burnout, strengthen engagement and build trust.
• Building public trust through strong leadership, accountability and communication.
• How to strengthen quality, patient safety and performance improvement by using telehealth, flexible staffing, shared services, team-driven initiatives and digital tools to overcome challenges.