National Rural Health Association

Nrha is a National nonprofit membership organization that brings together thousands of members across the us to tackle the vastly different obstacles faced by patients and Health care providers in Rural areas. Nrha members participate in in-depth analysis, assistance, discussion, advocacy, programming, and policy production with stakeholders across the country. They participate in National conferences and symposiums, engage in education and assistance, and seek to improve access to healthcare in their Rural communities. Nrha works to improve access to care for those living in Rural communities. One of the most pertinent issues is the Health care workforce shortage and its significant impact on patients' access to care. To address this concern, nrha began to lay the foundation for a National community healthcare worker (chw) training network in 2011. Nrha has successfully implemented more than 30 trainings in the past sixteen years and has trained more than 2,200 Rural chws in the us. The journal of Rural Health (jrh), which has been published by nrha for the past 45 years, serves to advance professional practice, research, theory development, and public policy. It is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal used to disseminate evidence-based best practices to the membership working in Rural communities. It's reach has increased to include more than 7,000 institutions in developing countries at low or no cost due to philanthropic initiatives. Nrha also publishes a quarterly magazine, Rural horizons, featuring articles to engage and inform all those working to improve Health care in Rural america. The weekly electronic newsletter nrha today is delivered every thursday morning to all active members with valid email addresses and provides updates on activities and opportunities within nrha's programming, government affairs, funding and educational efforts, as well as National news that impacts Rural Health.

State Rural Health associations (srhas) are nonprofit, grassroots organizations that are made up of the Rural providers and other Rural Health leaders who work in each community and/or individual state. The National Rural Health Association began providing direct technical assistance to the srhas through this cooperative agreement with the federal office of Rural Health policy in the 1990s with 19 srhas. Over the last 30 years, nrha has supported in the development of an additional 25 srhas. National Rural Health Association, with support from the federal office of Rural Health policy provides technical assistance in the following three areas: communication, convenings, technical assistance and education. Besides srha, there are many other local and state agencies making a difference in providing healthcare access, training, research, and delivery to Rural communities. These include oral Health care initatives and age- related Health initatives.