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Happy Holidays
Wishing you joy, good health, and plenty of bright moments this season.
Stay safe and celebrate well!
~ Tim, Brandon, & Ann
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Holiday Safety Tips
Keep Your Holiday Feast Safe & Delicious!
As you prepare holiday favorites—ham, turkey, casseroles, cookies, and more—remember the four keys to food safety: Clean. Separate. Cook. Chill.
From thawing meats safely to keeping buffet dishes at the right temperature, a few simple steps can help protect your family from foodborne illness this holiday season.
✨ Let’s make the holidays memorable for all the right reasons good food, good company, and good health! Follow the CDC’s food safety guidance.
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2025 VA-SORH Photography Contest
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We’re thrilled to announce the 2025 Virginia State Office of Rural Health Photography Contest Winners!
Congratulations to our winners! Your work will be featured across our digital calendar, outreach, website, and social media in 2026.
And to everyone who submitted a photo this year… THANK YOU!
Your creativity, talent, and love for rural Virginia made this contest shine brighter than ever.
Stay tuned - we’ll be showcasing the digital calendar in 2026!
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2025 Photo Contest Winners
Please visit our YouTube Channel to view.
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Virginia's Community Star honored on National Rural Health Day
 The Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Health Equity and State Office of Rural Health is proud to announce Nick Chuquín, MSHA, FACHE, as Virginia’s 2025 Community Star. The national honor recognizes those individuals who make a significant impact in rural health care.
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Policy & Advocacy Updates
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Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act
On December 1, 2025, President Trump signed off on S. 2121 / H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, or SUPPORT Act. The bill bolsters prevention, treatment, and recovery services for Americans with substance use disorders and mental illness.
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Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Reauthorization Act
In honor of National Rural Health Day, U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Barrasso (R-WY), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) reintroduced the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Reauthorization Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to reauthorize and modernize the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) program, which supports critical access hospitals in rural and frontier communities with training, technical support, and equipment. The program provides states with essential funds to help their smallest hospitals stay open, update key infrastructure, and improve care delivery. The Flex program remains a critical tool for sustaining and strengthening health care access in rural America.
Rural Health Policy Documents
The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) advocates for policy positions developed by the association’s membership on behalf of rural health stakeholders. Find NRHA's annual policy agenda, policy briefs, background papers, and more here.
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Career Connection
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3RNET Find Mission-Minded Health Professionals
3RNET is the Nation’s Most Trusted Resource for Health Professionals Seeking Careers in Rural and Underserved Communities. It is the job board when it comes to rural and underserved opportunities for over 300 different health care professions and specialties.
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Virginia Primary Care Office
The Virginia Primary Care Office (PCO) housed in the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Health Equity supports the primary care workforce in the state through shortage designations, recruitment and retention activities, and administration of scholarship and loan repayment programs.
Mark your calendar to join us for the webinar - PCO Stakeholders Office Hours 2 on January 12, at 1 pm. Registration coming soon to the website!
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Health Workforce Incentive Programs
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) offers a variety of impactful programs to attract primary health professionals to underserved areas of Virginia. Many of these initiatives help reduce medical education debt while enabling professionals to join vibrant communities and deliver care to those most in need. Loan repayment awards are competitive and often prioritized for those serving in Virginia's most underserved regions, with funding dedicated solely to repaying educational loans tied to health professional licensure.
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National Cemetery Administration (NCA) Toolkit for Rural Veterans - The VA’s National Cemetery Administration (NCA) has released Outreach Toolkit #5 to raise awareness about burial and memorial benefits for Veterans in rural communities. The toolkit offers ready-to-use talking points, social media posts, flyers, info sheets, and digital posters to help organizations share clear, helpful information with Veterans and their families.
The Healthy Virginia Blueprint - Virginia Health Catalyst -A comprehensive report synthesizing current data and on-the-ground insights to highlight the urgent need for policy action on oral health access and health equity across the Commonwealth.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office on Women’s Health (OWH) is pleased to announce the release of a new peer-reviewed publication in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, “Mortality-Weighted Severe Maternal Morbidity: A Novel Approach to Assessing Maternal Health Outcomes.” This open-access article adds valuable evidence to the growing body of research aimed at improving maternal health outcomes and advancing high-quality care for all pregnant women.
Richmond Fed launches Center for Rural Economies to Strengthen Economic Resilience in Rural Communities- The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond announces the launch of the Center for Rural Economies, a new initiative dedicated to advancing economic opportunity and resilience in rural communities across the Fifth District and beyond.
Virginia Rural Opportunity Dashboard- Virginia Rural Center - During emergencies, Primary Care Associations (PCAs) gather critical health center information and report the status of service delivery sites to HRSA. If your health center is impacted by a disaster, we ask that you report the site-level status to your PCA as soon as you are able.
WIPFLI's Five Finance Moves to Make Before Year-End- Year-end isn’t just about closing the books; it’s about finishing with intention. Whether your goal is to reduce exposure, capitalize on momentum, or build flexibility for what comes next, these next few months matter. In this article, Wipfli shares five strategic finance moves rural health leaders can make to reduce risk, seize opportunities, and build agility for 2026.
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Grants & Financial Support
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American Hospital Association Next Generation Leaders Fellowship
A fellowship program designed to empower healthcare leaders to bring about lasting change in the hospital and health systems in which they serve. Rural applicants are encouraged.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Mar 31, 2026
Sponsor: American Hospital Association
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Farmers' Mental Health: Supporting and Understanding Farm Culture and Farm Family Dynamics
A self-paced, online training course designed to help behavioral health providers better understand and address the mental health needs and challenges of farmers and their family members.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: University of Wisconsin - Green Bay, Behavioral Health Training Partnership, Wisconsin Farm Center
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Learning & Events
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Case Study Webinar: How Rural Hospitals Use Technology to Innovate and Transform
Join Wintergreen and VersaBadge on Thursday, December 11, at 12:00 pm EST for a timely virtual panel discussion that brings together Critical Access Hospital leaders to share stories and case studies of how technology is helping them manage financial pressures, strengthen clinical operations, and demonstrate the power of rural-led innovation.
Who it’s for: Administrators and CEOs, CFOs and finance leaders, nursing and quality leaders, State Offices of Rural Health
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New History and Health Series - Rural Health
The VCU Office of Health Initiatives, in partnership with the Health Humanities Lab at the Humanities Research Center, is pleased to announce a new learning opportunity in the History and Health Program - the Rural Health series.
These eight online learning modules are each designed to take 1-2 hours to complete and include a variety of scholarly articles, news media, videos, etc., suitable for a range of participants, including undergraduate students, staff, faculty, and community members. The series is free.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin Marks Ribbon Cutting of Horizon Crisis Receiving Center in Lynchburg
Governor Glenn Youngkin today participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Horizon Behavioral Health Crisis Receiving Center in Lynchburg, a major expansion of crisis services that will begin serving patients later this year. The facility is designed to give individuals in crisis immediate access to clinical care, stabilization, and a safe alternative to emergency departments. This center represents a significant investment in Central Virginia’s behavioral health system and builds on the progress of the Governor’s Right Help, Right Now plan. Press Release
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Rural Health Voice Podcast
The Rural Health Voice is the podcast of the Virginia Rural Health Association. It discusses rural health issues at the grassroots level and how state and federal policies play out in our local communities.
The Rural Health Voice is sponsored by the Virginia State Office of Rural Health and underwritten by the National Rural Health Association.
Listen to the latest episode- RHV 148: Home and Community-Based Care Listen Now
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A weekly audio newscast bringing you the news from rural America.
The Yonder Report highlights the vibrant, resilient spirit of living and working in rural America. Despite the news media’s consolidation into big cities, stories coming from thousands of small communities across the country are no less urgent and relevant to our national conversation. Tune in each week to stay informed and engaged on issues affecting vast swaths of American life. New episodes are released every Wednesday. Listen Now
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RHIhub's Podcast, November 4, 2025- Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation for Rural Providers, with Kevin Biese and Natalie Elder
An interview with Kevin Biese, MD, Chair of the Board of the American College of Emergency Physicians Geriatric Emergency Accreditation program, and Natalie Elder, MD, Director of Geriatric Emergency Medicine for the University of Vermont Health Network. In this episode, we learn about Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation and the standards of rural geriatric care that it ensures. Listen Now
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Build a Healthy Eating Routine- Free Guide Available
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans has published a helpful fact sheet titled “Build a Healthy Eating Routine,” designed to offer practical, science-backed advice on how to make nutritious eating a natural part of everyday life. The guide offers simple tips on balancing meals, incorporating more fruits and vegetables, choosing whole grains, and minimizing excess sugar, sodium, and saturated fats. It’s a great resource for individuals and families looking to improve health through better nutrition — check it out today!
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Exposures in the womb can affect lifelong health
Nutrition matters, and what young, developing children eat—or are exposed to before birth—can have lasting impacts. This Research in Context feature looks at how scientists have used natural experiments to better understand how early-life nutrition affects lifelong health.
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Follow Us!
"Like" us on Facebook and visit our website to receive updates on Virginia rural health issues and important messages from our community partners. If you missed our past newsletters, they are available on the website.
Visit the VA-SORH Facebook Page | Visit our VA-SORH Website
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