The Membership Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
It’s Annual Meeting time! NOSORH wants to make sure your travel to the NOSORH Annul Meeting is as smooth as possible. A discounted rate has been secured for transportation from the Denver International Airport to the Little America Hotel and Resort in Cheyenne. Green Ride will provide roundtrip travel both to and from the hotel for a rate of $49 each way. Click here to reserve a seat and luggage space. Once you are on the website, begin by Read more
National Rural Health Day (NRHD) is next month! Help us shine a spotlight on the positive aspects of rural health and communities across the nation! NOSORH is holding a 30-minute webinar with national partners on Oct 3 at 3:00 pm ET to learn more about how to engage in the Power of Rural. All current and potential NRHD partners are invited to attend! Register here. State Offices of Rural Health are invited to attend the webinar “NRHD Resources for SORH” on Thursday, October 4 at 1:00-1:30 pm ET Read More
NOSORH invites you to explore a sponsorship level that meets your needs and to join us in showcasing your organization at the NOSORH Annual Meeting in beautiful Cheyenne, Wyoming on October 17-18, 2018. With your support, you’ll become a valued partner in National Rural Health Day on November 15, 2018, shine in the social media spotlight, and gain recognition through the activities developed to promote the positive messages of #powerofrural throughout the year. We’re planning special tools and ideas to bring more attention to the work of our sponsors on National Rural Health Day and beyond. Read More
There is still time to register for the Fall 2018 NOSORH Rural Health Data Institute. The Rural Health Data Institute (RHDI) is a set of eight 90-minute web-based sessions designed to establish a minimum data-use skill set for those working with rural health data. The sessions are designed for those with little or no knowledge of the data use process. RHDI starts by throwing the term “research” out the window and defining terms in a way that everybody can understand. It moves through the process of collecting your data, cleaning it up, and analyzing it in a way that makes sense. Read more
by Beth Blevins
Remarkably, less than a year after the Idaho State Office of Rural Health (ID SORH) set a goal to find new funding for a physician loan repayment program, the state legislature appropriated $640,000 annually for it.
“It’s something we’re thrilled about,” said Mary Sheridan, ID SORH Director. “I think it points to the reasons we take advantage of new opportunities, even though we may be unsure of the ultimate outcome.” Read more
The House and Senate returned to Washington in September for their final legislative work period before the 2018 mid-term elections. With the Senate having already passed the State Office of Rural Health (SORH) Reauthorization bill, the focus shifted to the House. The House bill, H.R. 5641, picked up a critical cosponsor with Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) agreeing to sign-on. Griffith is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee which has primary jurisdiction over SORH legislation. Read More
SORH staff from all 10 Region E states descended on Salt Lake City, Utah, for the Region E SORH Partnership Meeting in August. The planning committee was laser focused while building the agenda and made sure to include ample time for the SORH to have group discussions. The six topics covered in the group discussions included: RHC Work, Oral Health, Workforce/Recruitment, Running a SORH with Budget and Political Uncertainty, Opioid Discussion, and Communication and Information Dissemination. Read more
Not even a tropical storm could stop Region B from meeting in Pensacola, Florida, for the Region B SORH Partnership Meeting in September! Flooding, high winds, and rough seas were the perfect backdrop to show how valuable this meeting was for the eight states in attendance. There were many new faces for their first Regional Meeting and it was inspiring to see members reaching out and building new connections, offering help on upcoming grants, giving support for upcoming projects and identifying ways to collaborate across states. Read more
Last month, the State Offices of Rural Health and NOSORH were represented by Matt Strycker, NOSORH Program Manager, at the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO) Regional Meeting in Denver, Colorado. Strycker spoke on a panel with Ron Seedorf, Emergency Preparedness Manager at the Colorado Rural Health Center, about the work of SORHs and NOSORH, and how State Offices are leading the charge through the EMS Flex Supplemental funds they received. Read more
Shannon Chambers (SC), Robert Coble (NC) and Tammy Norville, NOSORH Technical Assistance Director, spoke to a standing-room only group at the NRHA 2018 RHC Conference in Kansas City, MO in late September. They spoke on how Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) might work with their State Office of Rural Health. Norville provided an overview and context of NOSORH and general SORH information including organizational structures, examples of services provided and National Rural Health Day. Read More
NOSORH committees are great focal points for engaging in many NOSORH initiatives. Descriptions of all committees and contact information can be found on the NOSORH website.
The Educational Exchange Committee met in September to discuss topics for future educational resources, review the results of the annual member survey, and receive an update on the SORH Proficiencies. Co-chairs Natalie Claiborne (MT) and Alisa Druzba (NH) presented a webinar on completing the SORH Proficiencies self-assessment. The committee would like to thank Natalie and Alisa for their great work and encourage all SORH to complete the self-assessment. The Committee will host the next NOSORH 101 on Tuesday, October 2nd. Read more
The RHIhub is hosting a webinar with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) on October 11 at 1:00 pm Central. Rural Insights on Adult and Youth Obesity, a National and Community-based Perspective is the second in this series of webinars exploring rural/urban differences in health issues. Featured speakers include: Read More