Submitted by Tatumn Zale, Development Associate
November 18, 2021 is National Rural Health Day, a unique holiday dedicated to rural communities’ medical services and how they efficiently keep small-town residents healthy.
On the third Thursday of November each year, National Rural Health Day honors the amazing people who make rural living better. The topic for 2021 is “The Power of Rural,” to demonstrate how powerful communities can be when we work together. Would you believe me if I told you that over 60 million Americans live in rural areas? Power, in my opinion, is found in numbers. During National Rural Health Day 2021, Advance is delighted to salute the dedication of all health professionals and volunteers in our partner countries.
We are aware that rural populations have distinct healthcare demands. We must address accessibility challenges, a dearth of healthcare professionals, the demands of an older population suffering from a rising number of chronic ailments, and higher percentages of uninsured and underinsured individuals now more than ever. Rural hospitals are possibly the most important resource that residents use to address their healthcare requirements. These hospitals often act as the “anchor” or “hub” of their towns’ health and human service systems, providing people with a variety of services and professionals in a single place.
For this reason, when Advance expanded our preventative health education efforts to rural Arizona, we partnered with community health centers to best keep connected to the specific needs of these communities. Our model to listen, learn and implement programming that the community needs and asks for is ideal for improving health in rural areas.
So show your thanks to your local rural health experts on Rural Health Day! You can contact the Advance team at any time to gain a firsthand account of how we work every day to support health equity in rural communities throughout the world including in the United States.
