Celebrate National Rural Health Day

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health encourages community members to join and “Celebrate the Power of Rural” during the third annual National Rural Health Day celebration on Thursday (Nov. 21).

The National Office of State Offices of Rural Health established National Rural Health Day to showcase the good works of America’s 59.5 million rural citizens and to raise awareness of the unique health care issues they face. These issues include lack of health care providers, affordability resulting from larger percentages of uninsured or underinsured citizens, transportation, fragile infrastructures and geographic barriers.

The F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health is recognizing National Rural Health Day and “Celebrating the Power of Rural” by honoring rural champions of West Texas with a public display Nov. 18-22 at TTUHSC, 3601 4th St. in the 2AB North elevator lobby.

This year’s Rural Champions are:

• Kenneth Stewart, Ph.D., director of Community Development Initiatives, Angelo State University
• Teresa Callahan, FNP-BC, CEO, Iraan General Hospital
• Don McBeath, director for advocacy, Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals
• Holly Jeffreys, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, Family Care Clinic of Panhandle
• Pam Danner, managing director, Health.edu, TTUHSC
• Patti Patterson, M.D., professor, Department of Pediatrics, TTUHSC School of Medicine
• Susan McBride, Ph.D., R.N., professor, TTUHSC School of Nursing
• Sid O’Bryant, Ph.D., associate professor, internal medicine, University of North Texas Health Science Center
• Steven Berk, M.D., TTUHSC executive vice president, provost and TTUHSC School of Medicine dean

Gov. Rick Perry has proclaimed Nov. 21 to be National Rural Health Day in Texas and urges the appropriate recognition of our rural communities.

For more information about National Rural Health Day, visit www.celebratepowerofrural.org. To learn more about The National Office of State Offices of Rural Health, visit www.nosorh.org.

The F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health is a multidisciplinary group of professionals that are the focal point of key programs in four major areas — the West Texas Area Health Education Center, Rural Health Research, the West Texas Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center and Telemedicine. For more information about the institute, visit http://www.ttuhsc.edu/rural-health/.

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