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Help CRHC Celebrate National Rural Health Day!
CRHC has organized a number of events to celebrate National Rural Health Day. We hosted a luncheon at St. Vincent Hospital in Leadville, followed by a tour of the facility. Charles Reyman, Vice President of Communications at the Colorado Health Foundation, spoke at the event. Click here to view photos from the event.Congratulations to our coloring contest winners Izzy, age 8, and Fiona, age 7! Below are the winning drawings depicting how they stay healthy in their community. Both are students at Cressen Elementary School in Cripple Creek, CO. Click here to view the entire collection of drawings submitted from the second and third grade classrooms at Cressen Elementary.
Fiona, Age 7 |
Izzy, Age 8 |
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Caption: I am picking vegetables from my garden. This is how I stay healthy. | Caption: My favorite outside activity in Cripple Creek is hiking. |
Thank you to everyone who participated in our photo contest!
Click on the categories below to view the winning photos from our Photo Contest.
- Category: Colorado Landscape
Caption: The soul of Eastern Colorado
Location: Right outside city limits in Burlington, Colorado
Submitted by: Savannah Hornung, Director of Growth and Development, Kit Carson County Health Service District- Category: Rural Life
Caption: Tractor
Location: Twin Lakes, Lake County
Submitted by: Justin Mello- Category: Health Facility
Caption: Rooted in excellence. Growing in trust.
Location: Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital, Burlington, Colorado
Submitted by: Savannah Hornung, Director of Growth and Development, Kit Carson County Health Service District
Other Ways to Celebrate the Power of Rural
How you choose to celebrate is entirely up to you – it could be as simple as answering your office phones by saying “Happy National Rural Health Day,” giving tours of your local health care facility, or it could be as grand as hosting a National Rural Health Day reception to recognize or thank your partners. All we ask is that you celebrate! Here are some ideas:
Attend a FREE Webinar on Addressing Rural Health Concerns
Join NOSORH, State Offices of Rural Health and various partners for a series of FREE webinars highlighting the good work being done to address rural health concerns. To view recordings of the webinars, click here. Contact Stephanie Hansen at 208.375.0407 or steph@nosorh.org with questions.
Why Celebrate the Power of Rural?
Rural communities are wonderful places to live and work, which is why nearly 59.5 million people – nearly one in five Americans – call them home. These small towns, farming communities and frontier areas are places where neighbors know each other, listen to each other, respect each other and work together to benefit the greater good. They are also some of the best places to start a business and test your “entrepreneurial spirit.” These communities provide the rest of the country with a wealth of services and commodities, and they are the economic engine that has helped the United States become the world economic power it is today.
These rural communities also have unique healthcare needs. Today more than ever, rural communities must address accessibility issues, a lack of healthcare providers, the needs of an aging population suffering from a greater number of chronic conditions, and larger percentages of un- and underinsured citizens. And rural hospitals – which are often the economic foundation of their communities in addition to being the primary providers of care – struggle daily as declining reimbursement rates and disproportionate funding levels make it challenging to serve their residents.
That is why the National Organization of State Offices of Rural set aside November 15, 2012 and the third Thursday of every November to celebrate National Rural Health Day. First and foremost, National Rural Health Day is an opportunity to “Celebrate the Power of Rural” by honoring the selfless, community-minded, “can do” spirit of that prevails in rural America. But it also gives us a chance to bring to light the unique healthcare challenges that rural citizens face – and showcase the efforts of rural healthcare providers, State Offices of Rural Health and other rural stakeholders to address those challenges.
Nearly 62 million Americans live in rural and frontier communities. These individuals possess a selfless, community-minded, "can do" spirit that has helped our country thrive; they also have unique healthcare needs that should not be overlooked and need to be addressed. To learn more about rural healthcare in Colorado, download our 2011 Snapshot of Rural Health in Colorado and our rural healthcare facilities map insert.
Resources
For more information or to share how your community is celebrating National Rural Health Day, contact Trevor Hall at th@coruralhealth.org.
