Rural issues

America’s rural hospitals are committed to serving their communities and ensuring local access to high-quality, affordable health care. The AHA is working to ensure federal policies and regulations are updated for 21st century innovation and care delivery, and new resources are invested in rural…
According to March of Dimes, 2.2 million women live in “maternity care deserts,” defined as counties where no hospital or birth center offers obstetric care and no obstetric providers work.
AHA March 18 shared with the House Ways and Means Committee its proposals to strengthen access to timely emergency medical care, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
The health system is focusing on four strategic pillars to guide its work: Experience (of patients, employees and others); Education and Research Mission (through learning and innovation); Stewardship (to build healthy communities and public trust); and Operational Excellence (to attain financial…
AHA statement before the House Committee on Ways and Means regarding “Enhancing Access to Care at Home in Rural and Underserved Communities."
In early 2025, the last county in Wyoming without a hospital will lose that unwanted status when a new $73.8 million critical access hospital in Pinedale, dubbed Sublette County Health, is scheduled for completion in March.
Representatives from AHA’s Rural Health Services Committee met in person on February 29-March 1, 2024 in Washington DC, meeting highlights.
A compilation of recent news from the AHA and its Rural Health Services team, whose focus is to ensure that rural hospitals’ and health systems’ unique needs are national priorities.
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.