Putnam County Hospital partners to celebrate National Rural Health Day

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Putnam County Hospital will join the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) and other state/national rural stakeholders in celebrating the second annual National Rural Health Day on Thursday, Nov. 15.

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.

National Rural Health Day is now an annual celebration on the third Thursday of each November.

Approximately 62 million people -- nearly one in five Americans -- live in rural and frontier communities.

"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," NOSORH Director Teryl Eisinger noted. "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.

Putnam County Hospital (PCH) supports rural citizens through a variety of educational and wellness programs that provide the community with information and resources to allow individuals and families to live to their greatest level of independence and wellness.

Additional information about National Rural Health Day can be found at www.celebratepowerofrural.org. To learn more about NOSORH, visit www.nosorh.org; to learn more about PCH visit www.pchosp.org.

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