NRHA Launches Rural Leadership Program

At its Annual Conference held May 17-19 in Reno, Nevada, the National Rural Health Association announced the creation of a new rural leadership program for 2007. The NRHA Rural Health Fellows program will be a yearlong program to provide direct leadership training to selected future national leaders. Read More

Rural Health Clinics Technical Assistance Conference Call Series

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) is pleased to announce a new conference call series designed to provide Rural Health Clinic staff with valuable technical assistance and RHC specific information.  Over the next year, ORHP, with the assistance of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC), will conduct four to six national teleconference calls.  Presentations will include RHC billing, quality improvement, best practices, and more.  To find out about this Conference Call Series, visit the
ORHP web site.

Trauma Centers: Number Rises, But Rural Areas Underserved

The number of trauma centers in the United States has more than doubled since 1991 -- from 471 to 1,154 -- but rural areas remain underserved, according to a study published in the March 26 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In the study, researchers examined interviews with trauma center directors conducted between September 2001 and April 2002, data from the 2000 Annual Survey of Hospitals conducted by the American Hospital Association and the Health Resources and Services Administration Area Resource File for 2001.  Researchers used the information to determine the characteristics of trauma centers and the geographic locations that they serve.  They also examined the characteristics of trauma centers by level of care and compared them with nontrauma centers.  The study found that although the number of trauma centers nationwide increased, 15 states continue to lack a system for certification of trauma centers.  The study also found that more than 90% of the "best-equipped" Level I and Level II trauma centers are located in metropolitan Areas.  Ellen MacKenzie, a professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and a study author, said, "The good news is that the number of trauma centers in the country has increased over the last decade.  The bad news is that many communities still do not have access to adequate trauma care, particularly in rural parts of the country." MacKenzie recommended that trauma patients in rural areas be administered initial care, then transferred "outside the immediate region" for specialized care.  The study concluded that the United States must improve trauma care access "in light of recent emphasis" on homeland security.  The study is available online at: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/289/12/1515.

 

Kellogg Foundation Releases Survey on Portrayal of Rural America

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has released a survey reporting vast differences in the ways that rural America is portrayed in broadcast and print media. Over three of every four network television news stories about rural America focus on crime. Land issues such as urban sprawl receive the most attention in major newspapers and magazines, while television ignores these issues entirely. “What we need is more and better coverage of the 56 million people who live in rural America,” says Rick Foster, Vice President for Food System and Rural Development. http://www.wkkf.org/Pubs/FoodRur/ruralcrime_00253_03794.pdf

 

Partners for Rural Traffic Safety Action Kit Now Available Through NRHA

The long-awaited Partners for Rural Traffic Safety Action Kit is now in stock at the NRHA and previously ordered kits are now being shipped. This kit, the result of a partnership between NHTSA and the National Rural Health Association (NRHA), was developed as a resource and marketing tool to engage rural communities in organizing community campaigns to increase seat belt and child safety seat use. This step-by-step guide is directed toward the rural health professional or any other community leader who is interested in organizing a community team to plan and implement a high-profile 30-day campaign to increase seat belt use. The guide is based on the community-based training model developed and conducted by NRHA and the experiences of 15 pilot rural community projects that implemented this model. On average, these 15 projects realized an eight-percentage point gain in seat belt use as a result of their efforts.

This product is an 8 1/2" x 11" 220-page manual, divided into nine chapters and five appendices. The body of the document provides guidance on following the eight-step Partners for Rural Traffic Safety process for planning, implementing, and evaluating the 30-day campaign. The Appendices provide resource material, contact information, and an overhead slide presentation with speakers' notes. A disk with a PowerPoint slide presentation (same as the overheads) also is included.

The Action Kit may be ordered on the NRHA Web site in the Country Store at: http://www.nrharural.org/online-store/scstore/. The Kits also may be ordered by calling the NRHA directly at (816) 756-3140. The cost of the kits is $10.00, which covers postage and handling. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover are accepted.