Commissioner Miller Celebrates National Rural Health Day (11/19/2015)

AUSTIN- Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) today join the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), along with other state and national stakeholders, to celebrate National Rural Health Day, which takes place annually on the third Thursday of November.

“Agriculture and rural Texas go hand-in-hand, and it is critical that rural Texas continues to thrive in order for our entire state to be successful,” Commissioner Miller said. “While we recognize the importance of rural health nationally today, every day TDA works to make sure our neighbors in rural areas have access to medical care when they need it.”

National Rural Health Day was created to showcase rural America and increase awareness of rural health-related issues. Events recognizing National Rural Health Day are taking place today across the country to promote the efforts of the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH), NOSORH and other key stakeholders.

Approximately 62 million people — nearly one in five Americans — live in rural and frontier communities throughout the United States. SORH plays a key role in fostering relationships, disseminating information and providing technical assistance to improve access and quality of health care for rural citizens. In Texas, SORH will mark the day with a one-mile walk to the Texas State Capitol. 

“Small towns, farming communities and frontier areas are wonderful places to live and work,” said NOSORH Executive Director Teryl Eisinger. “They are places where neighbors know each other and work together. Hospitals and health care providers serve these rural communities by providing quality patient care and keeping jobs in rural America.”

SORH supports rural Texans through programs such as the Rural Health Facility Capital Improvement Program (CIP), Rural Communities Health Care Investment Program (RCHIP), Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) and Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program (FLEX). These programs are geared towards helping rural hospitals across Texas with the recruitment and retention of trained employees and facility improvements, as well as supporting financial and operational improvements for critical access hospitals.

Additional information about National Rural Health Day can be found at www.celebratepowerofrural.org. To learn more about SORH, click here.