The Membership Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
The 9th annual National Rural Health Day (NRHD) was celebrated on November 21, 2019, with a record number of nationwide events held by State Offices of Rural Health, rural partners, communities, providers and other stakeholders. What began as an annual, single day of recognition has grown to be a national conversation and movement! On November 21 alone, the #PowerofRural trended on Twitter with over 3,400 tweets and 16 million impressions, surpassing 2018’s numbers by 9 million impressions! The week of NRHD saw an astounding 19.8 million impressions and close to 5,000 tweets!
NOSORH was honored to release the 2019 Community Stars e-book on NRHD. This year’s publication (also available for purchase in a new hard copy format) features the inspiring stories of individuals and organizations from 44 different states who are working every day to make a difference in their rural communities through innovation, collaboration, education and communication. Close to 100 nominations were received, so thank you to all who took the time to nominate a deserving rural health hero. Please be sure to take a moment to read these incredible stories and be sure to shine a light on your state’s star!
There was no shortage of opportunities to celebrate the Power of Rural this year. Featured activities included a two-week screening of the award-winning documentary film The Providers, a weeklong lineup of events hosted by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and other national agencies and organizations, Walk with a Doc walks, and a call to action to post the #PowerofRural at 11:21 in each time zone to create a coast-to-coast virtual conversation. The Rural Medical Education (RME) Collaborative partnered with NOSORH to host a free online CME event on November 23 for rural primary care clinicians. Hundreds of providers participated in this unique, inaugural event. NOSORH also hosted a live webinar discussion with The Providers documentary filmmakers and Matthew Probst, PA-C, one of three rural health care providers featured in the film. The recording can be found here on the NOSORH website. Additionally, NOSORH and the RHIhub co-hosted the Twitter chat “Access to Funding for Rural Health Projects”, featuring special guests from HRSA, USDA Rural Development, Healthcare Collaborative of Rural Missouri, American Hospital Association, Rural Philanthropy Analysis Project, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Helmsley Charitable Trust Rural Healthcare. Click here for a transcript of the chat and resources shared.
Along with the multitude of events promoted by national partners, all 50 State Offices of Rural Health across the country took part in NRHD activities, including obtaining 25 gubernatorial proclamations. State Offices conducted site visits, held contests, presented rural health awards, reached out to policymakers, produced videos, hosted The Providers screening parties, held rural health conferences and meetings, presented to medical students, engaged in social media conversations, and much more.
As always, NOSORH greatly appreciates the support and engagement of nationwide partners and the 50 State Offices of Rural Health! Your support helps NRHD receive broader national attention and reach new audiences to bring even more awareness to the amazing work being done in rural and underserved areas. Let’s work together to keep the Power of Rural momentum going throughout 2020! Mark your calendar for Thursday, November 19, 2020, and join NOSORH for the 10th annual National Rural Health Day.
KNOW SOMEONE MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT?
Nominate them as a 2019 Community Star!
At NOSORH, we are dedicated to bringing attention to the outstanding contributions of those who are working to improve health in rural America through leadership development, advocacy, education, and collaborative partnerships. We hope you will help us in our search for this year’s outstanding Community Stars in connection to the Power of Rural movement and National Rural Health Day (November 21, 2019).
As in year’s past, we’re asking our friends and partners to identify those who are making a positive health impact in their rural community, and to nominate them for consideration to be included in the 2019 Community Stars ebook, a publication released annually on National Rural Health Day!
HELP US REACH OUR GOAL
This year, we’re issuing a challenge to our partners and stakeholders, asking that they help us reach the goal of featuring one Community Star (individuals, organization, or consortium) from each of the 50 states!
When you click the link below, you’ll be directed to a secure online nomination form located on the PowerofRural.org website. If you know of an individual or organization that we should shine a light on and celebrate this National Rural Health Day, please take just a few moments to nominate them by August 9, 2019.
Finally, please share this information with your contacts, asking them to nominate someone they know who is making a difference in rural health!
Those who dedicate their life’s work to rural health are extraordinary people whose contributions are deserving of recognition. To honor our nation’s rural health leaders the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) is proud to present “Community Stars,” a collection of touching and impactful stories that embody the true Power of Rural.
Community Stars is an electronic publication that is released on National Rural Health Day each year. Those featured in the book were nominated by a member of their State Office of Rural Health (SORH), a community member, or peer. Each Community Star profile is a shining example of their generosity, service, and dedication to the people who call rural America home. We thank all those who nominated a Community Star and we’re eager to have you meet them as we celebrate National Rural Health Day and the Power of Rural!
We are pleased to announce the 2017 Community Stars! Read their stories by clicking below
It’s never too early to start making plans for National Rural Health Day (NRHD)! To help kickstart the planning process, NOSORH recently hosted the webinar Preparing for National Rural Health Day 2017 as an overview of the resources currently available and for State Offices to share their plans/ideas. One of the resources outlined was the recently released NRHD Starter Toolkit for SORH, which features easy-to-use promotional calendars, celebration ideas, guides to media and social media, and other helpful tools. Please feel free to share this resource with your partners!
NOSORH is now collecting nominations for the 3rd annual Community Stars publication! Community Stars is published as an e-book on NRHD to honor the dedicated individuals and organizations who go above and beyond to make their rural community a better place to live, work and play. Nominations are due Friday, September 15, 2017. Click here to submit a nomination for this year’s publication! There is no limit to the number of submissions from each state, so share widely with partners and rural healthcare providers. Click here to read the 2016 publication.
Have you taken the Partner to Pledge yet? Visit www.powerofrural.org to take the Pledge and commit to four specific calls to action: Innovate, Educate, Collaborate & Communicate!
Visit the National Rural Health Day website at www.nationalruralhealthday.org for more ideas on how to “Celebrate the Power of Rural”. Also, be sure to follow NOSORH on Facebook and Twitter for updates!
Contact Ashley Muninger for more information.
The annual “Community Stars” publication honors and gives a personal voice to rural people, providers, advocates, and communities across the country. These stories document just a few shining examples of service and dedication to the people who call rural America home.
Click the link below to nominate a “Star”! Nominations are due by Friday, September 15, 2017
Nomination Form
NOSORH would like to thank you for your support of National Rural Health Day (NRHD) 2016! The day was a great success with nationwide events, webinars and recognition by partners and the press. It was exciting to see posts and tweets fill up social media. In fact, #PowerOfRural trended on Twitter and twenty-six legislators tweeted their support. The NOSORH Facebook page’s reach increased by 77%, Facebook likes increased by 38% and Twitter followers increased by 30% from 2015. The NOSORH Website had over 5,000 page views, an increase of 320% from 2015.
NOSORH is still tracking the NRHD activities of State Offices and wants to hear more about what you did to celebrate. Please click here to document your accomplishments!
NOSORH hosted a series of national “WebSights” throughout the day with speakers from AgriSafe, National Rural Health Association, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hall Render, Excelicare and Impact! Communications. The presentations can be accessed here on the NOSORH website (recordings will be available soon).
The “Pledge to Partner” was developed in partnership with Impact Communications and announced on NRHD as a way to transform NRHD into a year-long, ongoing commitment to bring collective focus to specific healthcare issues facing rural communities across the country. SORHs and other stakeholders are invited to sign the online pledge to officially join the “Power of Rural” movement.
The Pledge focuses on 4 key areas:
Innovate: Commit to developing ideas, programs and models that transform and positively impact rural healthcare delivery. Challenge partners and community leaders to explore new approaches to reach at-risk rural populations.
Educate: Initiate discussions to inform stakeholders on the issues facing rural providers. Share information about the need to improve access and outcomes in rural communities.
Collaborate: Commit to establishing new relationships that will bring additional resources to rural health care.
Communicate: Use all available channels to spread the “Power of Rural” message. Share your stories and ideas.
Visit powerofrural.org to take the Pledge today and start receiving information leading up to NRHD 2017. Click here for a short video about the Pledge.
In addition to the Pledge, the Community Stars 2016 e-book was also released on NRHD! This publication honors and gives a personal voice to rural people, providers, advocates, and communities across the country. These stories document just a few examples of incredible service and dedication to the people who call rural America home. Thanks to all who submitted stories and congratulations to the individuals highlighted in the book!
As always, a big thanks goes to NOSORH’s partners and sponsors who help to make NRHD a huge success every year!
To celebrate National Rural Health Day and the 25th anniversary of the Federal State Office of Rural Health Program, NOSORH is proud to present “Community Stars”. This publication honors and gives a personal voice to rural people, providers, advocates, and communities across the country. These stories document just a few shining examples of service and dedication to the people who call rural America home.
We thank all those who submitted these stories and to those individuals highlighted throughout the book! Congratulations!