2024 Virginia Community Star awarded to N. Travis Clark, MS, Vice President of Operations, Valley Health, Luray & Woodstock, Virginia. 

Mr. Clark oversees the successful operation of two Critical Access Hospitals in rural Virginia and has a lasting impact beyond the hospital walls. Deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of the place he calls home, Travis actively partners with local community-based organizations, schools, and town governments to advance rural health. He is truly a deserving Community Star.

The 2024 National Rural Health Day Main Event, The Power of Rural in Action: RCORP Success Stories & Strategies, spotlighted the transformative impact of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP). The event featured success stories and innovative strategies from grantees and key partners. Watch the recap to discover how these community-driven approaches can be adapted to drive lasting change in your community.

National Rural Health Day Update: On November 21, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced S.Res.909, which supports the goals and ideals of National Rural Health Day (NRHD). The bipartisan Senate Resolution was supported by 31 Senators, an incredible showing of support for rural health. On the House side, Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI) and Rep. Diane Harshbarger (R-TN) introduced H.Res.1594, a companion measure to the Senate resolution. The bipartisan House Resolution was supported by 50 other House members. On the morning of November 13, NOSORH sponsored the 2nd annual “NRHD Celebration on the Hill” in the Senate. The breakfast reception was widely attended by industry, Senate staff, Senate committee staff, and HRSA, and even featured a stop-in from Senator Tina Smith (D-MN).  

Effective January 1, 2025. On November 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the calendar year 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule to update payments for physicians and other providers under the PFS and other Medicare Part B policies. The rule contains updates for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), like the ability to bill for administration of Part B vaccines at the time of service beginning July 1, 2025, removal of RHC productivity standards, changes to the Conditions of Certification, changes to required lab services, and new care coordination billing processes. CMS continues several telehealth flexibilities through the end of 2025, and changes for behavioral health, opioid treatment programs, and more are also in the rule. Learn how these changes affect Rural Health Clinics at the NARHC webinar listed under Learning Events below. 

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) issued a notice finalizing modifications to its definition of a "rural area." The modified definition of rural integrates the new Rural Ruggedness Scale (RRS) from the Department of Agriculture. Now the definition of rural area will include Census tracts with an RRS 5 (highly rugged) and Rural-Urban Commuting Area codes 2-3 that are at least 20 square miles in area in metropolitan counties. Incorporating rugged terrain data into the definition of rural area using the adopted method adds 84 census tracts and approximately 305,000 people to the 60.8 million people living in FORHP-designated rural areas. This is an increase of 0.5% in the total number of people living in rural areas.

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NOSORH is excited to announce that a bipartisan group of Senators introduced the Rural Hospital Flexibility Act of 2024! The bill, S. 5308, seeks to reauthorize the Flex program.

Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced the bill. NOSORH has been working with these offices for over a year to get the bill introduced. NOSORH has also been working with Republican and Democrat offices in the House to get a companion bill introduced and potentially advanced before the end of the year. 

The Flex introduction comes six weeks after the Rural Community Opioids Response Program (RCORP) Authorization Act was introduced in the House. The bipartisan bill (H.R. 9842) was introduced by Reps. Miller (R-WV), Sewell (D-AL), Carter (R-GA), Kuster (D-NH).  NOSORH is working to get a companion bill introduced in the Senate before the end of the year.

Addressing Rural Maternal Health Disparities,

with Kristen Dillon
Check out the November 20th podcast episode featuring Kristen Dillon, Chief Medical Officer of the Federal Office for Rural Health Policy, in a discussion about the current state of rural maternal health and ways the Health Resources and Services Administration is working to improve outcomes for rural mothers.

We provide easy and timely access to research and findings of the FORHP-funded Rural Health Research Centers, 1997-present. Our goal is to help move new research findings of the Rural Health Research Centers to various end users as quickly and efficiently as possible. This site can be used to find:

• Completed rural health research publications
• Information about the research centers
• Information about individual researchers
• Current research center projects

We are honored to offer this live webinar series with 3RNET 2024 Academy for FREE.

3RNET is the Nation’s Most Trusted Resource for Health Professionals Seeking Careers in Rural and

Underserved Communities. 3RNET’s Recruiting for Retention Academy is the only online training specific to rural and underserved communities.

The Commonwealth of Virginia offers several incentive programs to attract health professionals to Virginia’s underserved areas. These programs not only assist with paying down outstanding medical education debt but also afford individuals an opportunity to become part of a community and provide care to deserving populations.

Some studies have found links between healthy eating and improved thinking and memory. An eating pattern called the MIND diet has shown promise. It features leafy greens and other vegetables. It prefers berries over other fruit. It also encourages eating whole grains, beans, nuts, and at least one weekly serving of fish. It limits red meat, sweets, cheese, fast food, and fried foods.