National Rural Health Day: Celebrating the Power of Rural

It is of vital importance that we ensure all rural communities have the opportunity to be healthy and have access to affordable, quality health care regardless of where they call home.

National Rural Health Day (NRHD), observed on the third Thursday of November, celebrates the efforts of rural health care providers, organizations, local health departments and other stakeholders dedicated to addressing social determinants of health and the challenges that rural communities face today and into the future. Let’s use this opportunity to explore ways health professionals, organizations, state and local governments, and others can address these disparities and work toward achieving health equity.

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), rural communities struggle with a shortage of qualified health care providers. Within rural areas, members of racial and ethnic minority, Tribal, and other diverse groups are at higher risk for poor health outcomes. AI/AN, African American, and Hispanic/Latino adults living in rural areas reported higher rates of fair or poor health compared to non-Hispanic white adults. Rural African American and AI/AN adults are more likely to have multiple chronic health conditions than non-Hispanic white adults.

Help support National Rural Health Day and join the “Power of Rural” celebration with the Promotional Toolkit! These free downloadable tools are designed for rural communities, hospitals, clinics, first responders, public health, non-profits, civic organizations, and others who serve and support the health needs of rural communities

• Visit the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health’s Power of Rural website to find NRHD graphics, content for social media, planning guides, a bilingual coloring book, and more.
• Visit HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) website to learn more about federal programs designed to build health care capacity at both the local and state levels for residents of rural communities.

.