Rural Member Spotlight

AHA's rural members exemplify the importance and impact the wide range of rural hospitals have on their communities, and their stories illustrate the vital role they play in the health care landscape. Each story is a glimpse into how rural hospitals succeed in delivering care to the communities they serve.


2027 Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award - Apply Now 


2026  Award Winner and Finalists

2026 Innovation Award Recipients

Learn more about the winner and finalists 


Telling the Hospital Story 

The Telling the Hospital Story initiative shines a light on the crucial work of health systems and hospitals that advance community heath through proactive, compassionate and high-quality care.

Rural Stories

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital
Brattleboro, Vt.

Brattleboro Memorial, a finalist for the 2026 AHA Rural Health in Innovation Award, created the Mobile Integrated Health Initiative, a program which integrates EMS professionals into coordinated care teams in which paramedics provide in-home assessments, education and other means of support.
Rural Stories

Scotland Health
Laurinburg, N.C.

Scotland Health at Home began with one goal: Connect patients to treatment, no matter where they were. The program’s work led to Scotland Health Care System being recognized as a finalist for the 2026 AHA Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award.
Rural Stories

Grundy County Memorial Hospital
Grundy Center, Iowa

An Iowa hospital is being recognized for going above and beyond after staff members used an unconventional method to help a patient recover priceless family heirlooms that were accidentally thrown away.
Rural Stories

Reid Health
Richmond, Ind.

“This was never about technology,” said Muhammad Siddiqui. That sounds like a strange way to describe the project that made Reid Health one of the finalists for the 2026 AHA Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award.