National Rural Health Association

In today's economy, you can't afford to miss NRHA's 32nd Annual Rural Health Conference May 5 - 8 at the historic Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach. Now more than ever, you need innovative ideas to advance rural health and serve your community.

Featuring keynote speakers Newt Gingrich and Dr. Sanjeev Arora, the conference will also include important topics such as:

• finding funding and implementing HIT 
• rural workforce development and effective recruitment and retention strategies
• value-based purchasing - what's in place and what's coming
• evaluating the merits of the RHC designation for your facility
• improving collections

In addition, you can take part in one of our important pre-conference workshops, including "Leading in Uncertain Times" presented by Renee Waller, a telehealth workshop presented by the experts from the 5 telehealth resource centers, and an all-day mini-conference on the recently-passed stimulus package and accessing federal funding for your rural community. 

For more information and to register, click here. View Full Story

On May 7, President Obama released the details of his FY 2010 spending request, including increases to rural health programs. To reflect the president's belief in increasing access to health care and improving the quality of health care in rural areas, the budget includes $73 million for a new "Improve Rural Health Care" initiative. This initiative includes such vital rural health programs as the Rural Health Outreach and Network grants ($55 million), the State Offices of Rural Health ($9 million) and the Telehealth grants ($8 million).

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On May 4, the White House Office of Health Reform hosted a Health Care Stakeholder Discussion concerned with rural health. The NRHA was invited to participate and President-elect Denny Berens and CEO Alan Morgan represented the Association. Director of the White House Office of Health Reform Nancy-Ann DeParle, HRSA Administrator and former NRHA member, Mary Wakefield, and Representatives Ross and Pomeroy met with farmers, ranchers and fishermen to discuss their struggles accessing high-quality, affordable health care in America's rural heartland.

Participants, including NRHA, discussed the high cost of health care and health insurance for small businesses and the independently employed and the challenge of the lack of access to local health care providers in rural communities. They also offered ideas and suggestions of how to reform the health care system. View Full Story