Rural Health News

Join the AHA April 28 at 2 p.m. ET for a virtual discussion with rural hospital leaders and board members.

Join the AHA April 28 at 2 p.m. ET for a discussion with rural hospital leaders and board members.

The grants are the first awards from $475 million in emergency grants authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act. 

Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, last week introduced a Senate companion to the Rural Hospital Support Act.

The Federal Communications Commission Friday adopted a notice proposing changes to the Rural Health Care Program, which provides funding to help rural health care providers expand telehealth services.

At the AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, AHA held an open dialogue on strengthening emergency management systems, which will translate into case studies, action plans and compendiums for the field as part of a five-year partnership with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. Kristin Preihs, AHA’s director of clinical quality, grants & contracts, and Helena Bonfitto-Wolf, senior program manager for AHA’s Center for Health Innovation, outline key takeaways from the conference session in this new blog post.

Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls, Ore., will receive the AHA’s 2021 Rural Hospital Leadership Award at the Rural Health Care Leadership Conference next week in Phoenix, AHA announced.

Rural health clinics, community-based organizations and others may apply through April 19 for a portion of $13 million in Health Resources and Services Administration funding to increase access to substance use disorder and other behavioral health care services in rural communities.

The Department of Health and Human Services began distributing $7.5 billion of the $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan Act payments designated for providers who serve rural Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicare beneficiaries.

AHA’s 2022 Rural Health Care Leadership Conference offers “an unparalleled opportunity to learn and share with rural health leaders innovating at the forefront of change,” writes Michelle Hood, AHA executive vice president and chief operating officer. 

Leaders at St. Patrick Hospital in Montana say as COVID-19 cases rose, the ages of patients were getting younger and younger.

In part 2 of this two-part series, Ruby Kirby, CEO of West Tennessee Healthcare Bolivar Hospital and West Tennessee Healthcare Camden Hospital, shares her insights on how rural hospitals and health systems can work with their communities to build confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine, including education, partnerships and addressing social determinants of health.

The AHA continues to advocate for rural hospitals and health systems on Capitol Hill and beyond, elevating the most pressing issues facing rural hospitals nationwide.

In part 1 of this two-part series, Ruby Kirby, CEO of West Tennessee Healthcare Bolivar Hospital and West Tennessee Healthcare Camden Hospital, shares her insights on how rural hospitals are working to eliminate health inequities and disparities in their communities, including tactics for healthier eating and exercise.

Obstetrician-gynecologist Makunda Abdul-Mbacke, M.D., shares the challenges she faces in her rural Virginia community and her hopes for the future of rural health.

The AHA continues to spotlight the important work of rural hospitals tasked with caring for the nearly 60 million Americans who live in rural communities.

The AHA urged the Health Resources and Services Administration to quickly distribute the $17 billion in Phase 4 provider relief funds and $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds for rural providers, as well as reverse a new requirement that capital projects be fully completed before the deadline for using the funds.

In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, rural hospital mergers were associated with lower mortality for patients admitted to the hospital for heart attack, heart failure, stroke and pneumonia.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awarded four organizations an initial $2 million each to serve as lead organizations for the Community Transformation Track in the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation Model.

The AHA released a new episode of PowerPlay, the on-demand video series that connects AHA members to major players in policy, politics and science.