Celebrate National Rural Health Day!

Family Health Care 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 15, 2018.

Dr. Kamrowski exams a child’s eyesight during an outreach event.

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 an annual day of recognition which occurs on the third Thursday of November and was awarded the 2018 “Outstanding Rural Health Program of the Year” by the National Rural Health Association.

Over 60 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.”

In central-west Michigan, Family Health Care provides comprehensive primary health care services through its medical, dental, vision and pharmacy programs; and additional programs such as Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, free health insurance enrollment, In-Home Respite Care, and a variety of primary care services in schools. Family Health Care is focused on making health care accessible to everyone in order to achieve its vision of 0% health disparities in the communities the organization serves.

“Our employees are dedicated to meeting the needs of every patient that comes through our doors and through outreach into the community,” says Kathy Sather, President & CEO of Family Health Care. “I am truly proud to be part of this dedicated team of individuals working toward the common goal of improving the health of our rural communities.”

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. Family Health Care is a proud member of the Michigan Rural Health Association.

Additionalinformation about National Rural Health Day can be found at PowerofRural.org.To learn more about NOSORH, visit nosorh.org; to learn more about Family HealthCare visit familyhealthcare.org.