Living and working in rural communities isn’t for everyone, but if you can stick with it, the rewards are plentiful.
Here in the North Country, we cherish the sense of community, the can-do spirit, and the proximity to nature that go hand-in-hand with living in a rural area. But the team at the North Country Healthy Heart Network also recognizes the challenges that come with the territory — geographic isolation, delicate economic circumstances, and the harsh realities of accessing healthcare.
On Nov. 21, 2019, we celebrate National Rural Health Day, an event created by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health to acknowledge the immense contributions that our rural healthcare providers make to our well-being.
Rural communities deal with unique healthcare challenges on a daily basis: accessibility, lack of providers, the needs of an aging population, larger percentages of uninsured and underinsured patients, and higher occurrences of chronic disease. Plus, our rural hospitals — often the biggest source of employment and economic impact in their communities — struggle with decreasing reimbursement rates and less public funding.
And yet, these providers doggedly pursue excellence and put patients first.
The Heart Network wishes to acknowledge and celebrate the immense contributions our North Country Chronic Disease Prevention Coalition partners make every day:
- Adirondacks Accountable Care Organization
- Adirondack Health
- Adirondack Health Institute
- UVM Alice Hyde Medical Center
- Clinton County Public Health
- UVM Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
- UVM Elizabethtown Community Hospital
- Essex County Public Health
- Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
- Franklin County Public Health
- Hixny
- New York State Office of Rural Health
We wouldn’t be able to deliver on our promise of building foundations for healthy communities without these partners, and our communities are stronger because of them. Thank you.
Learn more about National Rural Health Day: www.powerofrural.org.
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