Madison County Rural Health Council will join the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health and other state/national rural stakeholders in celebrating National Rural Health Day Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017.
NOSORH created National Rural Health Day as a way to showcase rural America; increase awareness of rural health-related issues; and promote the efforts of NOSORH, State Offices of Rural Health and others in addressing those issues. Plans call for National Rural Health Day to become an annual celebration on the third Thursday of each November.
Events recognizing National Rural Health Day and “Celebrating the Power of Rural” are being planned throughout the nation. In Madison County, the Live Well Committee of Madison County Rural Health Council is planning to mark the occasion by encouraging people to walk a Monday Mile near them. Monday Miles may be found at the following locations: Oneida Rail Trail, Oneida Recreation Center, Brookfield Town Park, Stockbridge School, Main St. Canastota, Morrisville at Cornell Cooperative Extension, DeRuyter Fairgrounds Track and in the village of DeRuyter. Go to our website at mcruralhealthcouncil.org, click on “What we do” and then “Monday Mile” for maps of each mile.
Approximately 62 million people – nearly one in five Americans – live in rural and frontier communities throughout the United States. “These small towns, farming communities and frontier areas are wonderful places to live and work; they are places where neighbors know each other and work together,” said NOSORH Director Teryl Eisinger. “The hospitals and providers serving these rural communities not only provide quality patient care, but they also help keep good jobs in rural America.”
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,” Eisinger said. “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 the past year alone, State Offices of Rural Health collectively provided technical assistance to more than 28,000 rural communities.
In Madison County for example, the Madison County Rural Health Council supports rural citizens through programs such the National Diabetes Prevention Program, the Chronic Disease Self- Management Program, the development of Monday Miles in communities with high obesity rates, planning for better access to transportation and leading a Worksite Wellness Coalition to promote the NY State Prevention Priorities of 1) improving the rate of Colorectal Cancer Screening in adults 50-75 years old; 2) reducing the rate of overweight and obesity in Madison County.
Additional information about National Rural Health Day can be found at nosorh.org/nrhd. To learn more about NOSORH, visit www.nosorh.org. To learn more about Madison County Rural Health Council, visit www.mcruralhealthcouncil.org or follow us our Rural Health Council of Madison County Facebook page for up-to-date information.