What You Need to Know: National Rural Health Day 2022

NRHD Logo

The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) highlights the third Thursday of every November to celebrate National Rural Health Day (NRHD). The idea behind this day is to provide an opportunity for us to honor hardworking rural America, whose focus has always been on the community, exemplifying the “Power of Rural.” Citizens of rural communities face difficult challenges, yet always put all of their effort into their work. Rural communities are known for being great communities in which to live because of their respect for one another and the togetherness of people.

[1] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. (2022, March). Defining rural population. https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/about-us/what-is-rural
[2] The Chartis Center for Rural Health. (2022). The rural health safety net under pressure: Understanding the potential impact of COVID-19. https://www.chartis.com/sites/default/files/documents/CCRH-Rural-Safety-Net-Pressure-Understand-Impact-COVID-19.pdf

Background & Overview

Eighty-six percent of the country’s land area is considered rural, with close to 61 million people living in these areas. Although this is only 19.7% of the population, rural communities are the driving change and support for the rest of the country through the resources that they provide.[1] Focusing on providing more support for rural communities is vital for the success of the urban population. There are nearly 1,300 critical access hospitals and about 900 other rural hospitals that can support the acute care landscape of rural communities.[2] Continuing to grow and expand the availability of health care has provided positive effects in these communities because of movements such as NRHD.

NRHD has developed over the past decade into a movement making positive change–rather than just a day—by engaging program funders, policymakers, partners, and practitioners. For these positive outcomes to occur, people need to step up and participate in the events put on by the organization.  

How to Participate

People can participate in this movement in various ways. NOSORH and the Rural Medical Education (RME) Collaborative are putting on the Rural Health Clinical Congress Fall 2022, a virtual continuing medical education/continuing education conference for clinicians and those who serve the underserved and rural communities. The event will be held on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 8:00 am CT. Feel free to invite others and spread the word! If you have any questions, email RME Collaborative at cme@cmeruralhealth.com.

RCORP-TA is hosting a photo contest to showcase the impact of RCORP grantees across the country. To find directions on how to participate, click here. To celebrate NRHD, everyone is invited to wear green on November 17, 2022. Encourage friends, family, colleagues, and anyone you know to wear green with you, too! Post photos of you or others wearing green, using the hashtag #GreenForRural. And all are welcome to send their photos to rcorp-media@jbsinternational.com to have their photos highlighted.

For more information about NRHD, visit the official website for NRHD.