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Department of Health’s Office of Primary Care and Rural Health celebrates National Rural Health Day
SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health’s Office of Primary Care and Rural Health (OPCRH) will join the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) and other state/national rural stakeholders in celebrating National Rural Health Day on Thursday, November 18, 2021.
NOSORH founded National Rural Health Day as a way to showcase rural America; increase awareness of rural health-related challenges; and promote the efforts of NOSORH, State Offices of Rural Health and others in addressing those challenges. National Rural Health Day is an annual day of recognition which occurs on the third Thursday of November.
Events, including those held virtually, recognizing National Rural Health Day and “Celebrating the Power of Rural” are being planned throughout the nation. In New Mexico, the OPCRH is planning to mark the occasion by honoring New Mexico’s small rural hospitals and community health centers for their amazing work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a proclamation for Rural Health Day to recognize New Mexico’s rural health care delivery systems that provide quality care to New Mexico’s rural population.
“National Rural Health Day gives us a chance to recognize the unique healthcare challenges that rural citizens face and to showcase how we are working together with rural healthcare providers to address those challenges,” said Acting Secretary David R. Scrase, M.D. “It’s also an opportunity for us to applaud the ongoing efforts, contributions, and collaborations in our rural communities.”
An estimated 57 million people – nearly one in five Americans – live in rural and frontier communities throughout the United States.
These communities also face unique healthcare needs. “Today more than ever, rural communities must tackle accessibility issues, a lack of healthcare providers, the needs of an aging population suffering from a greater number of chronic conditions, and larger percentages of un- and underinsured citizens,” said Teryl Eisinger, NOSORH Chief Executive Officer. “Meanwhile, rural hospitals are threatened with declining reimbursement rates and disproportionate funding levels that makes it challenging to serve their residents.”
State Offices of Rural Health play a key role in addressing those needs. All 50 states maintain a State Office of Rural Health, each of which shares a similar mission: to foster relationships, disseminate information and provide technical assistance that improves access to, and the quality of, health care for its rural citizens.
In New Mexico for example, the OPCRH supports rural citizens through State and Federal programs such as the Rural Primary Health Care Act Program, J-1 Visa Waiver Program, Rural Health Care Practitioner Tax Credit Program, New Mexico Health Service Corps, Primary Care Capital Fund, the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program, and the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP).
Additional information about National Rural Health Day can be found at PowerofRural.org. To learn more about NOSORH, visit www.nosorh.org. To learn more about New Mexico Department of Health’s Office of Primary Care and Rural Health visit https://www.nmhealth.org/about/phd/pchb/oprh/
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