Washington, D.C. – Congressman Rick Berg, a strong advocate of maintaining affordable and accessible rural health care, joins North Dakotans today in celebrating National Rural Health Day.

To celebrate “the power of rural,” the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health has named the third Thursday of every November as National Rural Health Day.  Both the University of North Dakota’s Center for Rural Health and North Dakota Rural Health Association have also joined in celebrating this important day.

“Growing up in Hettinger, I know firsthand that rural communities are great places to live, but I also understand the challenges facing these regions,” Berg stated. “Health care providers in our rural communities face unique challenges in ensuring the delivery of quality, affordable care to Americans in rural areas and I commend our providers in North Dakota for their tireless work.  Whether through my continued support for the Critical Access Hospital program or fighting to preserve the Frontier States Provision, I will continue to work to ensure that our health providers have the support and resources they need to continue to offer consistent service in rural America”. 

A member of the House Rural Health Care Coalition, Berg has urged the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, which is tasked with working to reduce the federal government’s spending, to prioritize health care policies that are important for North Dakotans and rural regions.  Berg has expressed that changes to these polices could have a significant impact on North Dakotans’ access to quality health care in rural areas, while offering minimal savings.

In a recent letter to the Joint Select Committee, Berg joined nearly 60 members of Congress in urging the Joint Select Committee to preserve the critical access hospital (CAH) program, which provides support to rural hospitals across the United States. North Dakota is home to 36 CAHs, including West River Regional Medical Center in Berg’s hometown of Hettinger.

“Congressman Berg’s work in the House to preserve our rural health safety net is to be commended,” stated Brad Gibbens, the Deputy Director of the Center for Rural Health.  “His efforts to maintain the Frontier States provision and to protect payments to our rural critical access hospitals are key to securing access to health services and improving the health status for North Dakotans. As we celebrate National Rural Health Day, I appreciate Congressman Berg’s leadership on rural health issues and thank him for his efforts on behalf of North Dakotans.”

Berg has also been actively fighting to protect rural health care providers and facilities from cuts that could detrimentally impact their ability to provide care to rural communities.  In October, Berg joined Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT) in urging the Joint Select Committee to preserve the Frontier States provision, which ensures fair Medicare reimbursement to health care providers in frontier states. 

“Rick’s position on the Ways and Means Committee puts him in a key position to advocate for North Dakota’s health care community, and we greatly appreciate his willingness to tackle these issues with us,” added Jerry Jurena, President of the North Dakota Hospital Association.  “Working together, Rick and NDHA have advocated public policies that will ensure continued access to high quality and low-cost medical treatment in our state.  We thank Rick for his leadership in the House in protecting the frontier states wage index statute.  This has been a tough fight, and one in which we will not prevail without Rick’s continued strong support.”

###