Region D

Pre-Meeting and SORH Regional Partnership Meeting | 2021

Closing the Gap: Public Libraries and Public Health

Small and rural public libraries have great potential to contribute to cross-sector public health collaboration. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, small and rural public libraries worked with health departments to address food insecurity, vaccine avoidance, and to increase social connectedness. This presentation will provide participants with evidence-based strategies they can use to harness the power of public libraries for public health.

Putting the Community First on Hawaiʻi Island

Partnering with Community Action Agencies is one way to bolster public health in rural America. Learn new and innovative ways around how your SORH can create this new connection.

Partnering with the Chamber of Commerce

Chambers of Commerce and Commerce Authorities are partnering with public health entities to improve health care, and health outcomes through economic growth. This presentation shows how that partnership can be meaningful in helping create economic conditions that are favorable to attract a new health workforce, while also improving public health.

NOSORH/FORHP Townhall

This session tackles four main issues:

1. What new, unforeseen opportunity has your SORH taken advantage of? What are you accomplishing? Who are you are partnering with to get it done?
2. What are your challenges, plans or wins in addressing rural broadband?
3. How is your SORH partnering with emergency preparedness and disaster response stakeholders?
4. What resources does your SORH use/need to promote diversity and inclusion in rural communities?

Rural Hospital Bypass: Where are Rural Medicare Beneficiaries Going?

This presentation provides an overview of rural hospital bypass including: which Medicare beneficiaries bypass their local rural hospitals; what services are most likely sought at distant hospitals (that are also available locally); and, what role telehealth plays in keeping patients local for inpatient care. In addition, hear perspectives from rural stakeholders regarding why rural hospital bypass occurs and what approaches may be used to decrease the number of patients leaving their rural communities for inpatient care.

Assessing State-Based Rural and Urban Mortality Differences

This session will highlight state-based rural-urban mortality differences. It will provide an overview of a new health disparity surveillance tool and explain how rural-urban mortality differences can be used to target future funding to close gaps or maintain improvements in rural health.

Optimizing Collaboration Between SORHs, FORHP, and RHIhub

SORHs and the RHIhub are key partners in ensuring that rural communities and healthcare stakeholders have access to the information that can help them maintain services and improve population health. This discussion between RHIhub, SORHs, and FORHP will brainstorm ways that RHIhub and SORHs can more effectively work together to meet the information needs of our rural stakeholders, share promising practices across the nation, and highlight the great work taking place in each state.