Uvalde Memorial Hospital Celebrating National Rural Health Day
Uvalde Memorial Hospital will join the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) and other rural stakeholders in celebrating National Rural Health Day on Thursday, November 21, 2019.
NOSORH founded National Rural Health Day as a way to showcase rural America; increase awareness of rural health-related challenges; and promote the efforts of NOSORH, State Offices of Rural Health and others in addressing those challenges. National Rural Health Day is an annual day of recognition that occurs on the third Thursday of November.
An estimated 57 million people – nearly one in five Americans – live in rural 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,” says Teryl Eisinger, NOSORH CEO.
“The hospitals and providers serving these rural communities not only provide quality patient care, but they also help keep good jobs in rural America,” Eisinger added.
These communities also face unique healthcare needs and challenges.
“Today more than ever, rural communities must tackle accessibility issues, a lack of healthcare providers, the needs of an aging population suffering from a greater number of chronic conditions, and larger percentages of un- and underinsured citizens,” Eisinger said. “Meanwhile, rural hospitals are threatened with declining reimbursement rates and disproportionate funding levels that makes it challenging to serve their residents.”
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.
“We are very blessed in Uvalde to have a thriving hospital. An independent rural hospital doing very well on its own is truly a rarity these days,” said Tom Nordwick, CEO of Uvalde Memorial Hospital.
“In an environment where many rural hospitals are struggling to stay afloat, our board of directors has laid an incredibly strong foundation and placed us in a position that has allowed us to be looking ahead to the future of healthcare in our community, and building a new hospital,” Nordwick added.
Uvalde Memorial Hospital supports rural citizens through a full realm of healthcare services from imaging and laboratory, to inpatient and women’s and newborns’ care, to surgery and wound care, and much more in between.
Additional support through ancillary programs such as community health workers, financial counselors, and educational courses, also allow the hospital to better serve the region.
The hospital also hosts health-centered events throughout the year to promote health and wellness within the community. The annual Women’s Health Expo attracts over 600 women from around the region, a bi-monthly Walk With a Doc unites community members through light fitness, and celebrations like National Heart Health Awareness month in February provide basic wellness checks and resources.
Additional information about National Rural Health Day can be found at PowerofRural.org. To learn more about NOSORH, visit www.nosorh.org. To learn more about Uvalde Memorial Hospital visit www.umhtx.org.