The Office works closely with a large number of organizations involved in rural health including the National Association for Rural Mental Health, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Psychological Association, the The National Association of Rural Health Clinics, the American Nurses Association, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the American Hospital Association, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and numerous state and local associations.

The Office and the National Rural Health Association collaborate each year on a number of projects designed to assist rural populations and communities. Many of the office's most requested publications are jointly produced with the NRHA and many projects, such as the Journal of Rural Health and the annual minority health conferences, have received substantial office support over the years. Rural Health: A Vision for 2010 is a report from an invitational workshop co-sponsored by the Office and the National Rural Health Association in February 1998.

In August of 1998, the NRHA, with support from the Office, jointly sponsored the Southwestern Conference on Rural HIV/AIDS in Albuquerque. Clinicians, educators, counselors, and business people in the region gathered to learn about the latest strategies for delivering care to people in rural areas who are at risk for or suffering from HIV/AIDS. The conference was modeled on the 1997 Rural HIV/AIDS Conference held in Atlanta. A report on methods for overcoming rural barriers to such care is available from the Office: Southeastern Conference on Rural HIV/AIDS: Issues in Prevention and Treatment Conference Report.

To improve the recruitment and retention of health professionals in rural areas, the Office currently supports development of the National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network. This network consists of organization in 46 states committed to assisting health professionals locate suitable practices in rural and frontier areas throughout the country. Network participants have information regarding rural practice sites in their respective states and staff to help health professionals and their families identify resources and meet their personal and professional requirements. The toll-free number of the network is 1-800-787-2512.

The Office is also currently supporting the development of a National Rural Health Resource Center at the Minnesota Center for Rural Health, which will help meet the critical need of rural communities for technical assistance, information and training in the current environment of market reform.

To foster education about rural health issues and enlarge the circle of organizations interested in rural health policy, the Office has been a sponsor of the Capital Area Rural Health Roundtable. George Mason University hosts forums several times a year that keep Washington-area leaders up-to-date on the latest developments in rural health. Meetings have briefed attendees on the new universal service discounts for rural telemedicine and on the new State Children's Health Insurance Program, both of which can mean several million dollars in new resources to rural America. To join the Roundtable and receive a Roundtable Directory of Contacts, Resources and Parties of Interest, call the Roundtable Office at (703) 993-1907.

For more information, Contact: HRSA, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Room 9-A-55, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD., 20857. Phone 301-443-0835.