National Rural Health Day!

I know it’s still summertime – but believe it or not, National Rural Health Day is less than three months away! While National Rural Health Day will again fall on the third Thursday of November – November 15, to be exact – NOSORH is busy planning a series of events and activities leading up to National Rural Health Day in the hopes of making this year’s celebration more exciting.  We’re doing this for two reasons: first, we want to give those of you planning your own National Rural Health Day activities a greater opportunity to participate in one or more of NOSORH’s NRHD-related activities; and second, there’s just too much good stuff going on to try to cram into one day! Because we’re going to spread our celebration over several days and to help others planning their own National Rural Health Day celebrations, NOSORH has developed a series of National Rural Health Day Celebration Themes that individuals and organization can use to “focus” their events and activities around specific topics.  Primary themes/focus areas that NOSORH plans to address during this year’s celebration include:

• Welcome to Rural America:   an overview of rural America and some of the people, places and things that make it unique.

• Exploring the Issues:  an overview of some of the most pertinent/critical policy issues facing rural America today.

• Doing More with Less:  the economy is bad; budgets are being stretched to the limit; programs are at risk of being cut.  What to expect following the presidential/congressional elections, and what can be done to move ahead regardless of their outcomes.

• Provider Appreciation Day:  an opportunity to honor the individuals/organizations going to great lengths to meet the healthcare needs of rural residents. 

• Looking Toward the Future:  a glimpse at what is already being done – and what must be done– to help rural communities prepare to meet their future needs.

Please be sure to visit the General Resources section of the National Rural Health Day website to download a more detailed list ofNational Rural Health Day Celebration Themes that includes lists of possible topics to be addressed within those themes. We also know that many SORHs and rural partners are busy planning conferences, award ceremonies, and/or other assorted events and activities celebrating National Rural Health Day.  We’d love to know what everyone is doing and hear how everyone is promoting this year’s celebration – which is why we’ve once again posted the National Rural Health Day Celebration Checklist on the NRHD website.  This Google spreadsheet is a great resource for letting us know what you’re planning, and it’s a great way to boost your plans by seeing what everyone else is doing – so be sure to visit the link and update your state’s information as frequently as possible! Here are a few additional resources already available on the National Rural Health Day website to help with your planning:

• National Rural Health Day Logos  (available in PDF and JPG formats);

• a “Save the Date” Card to help you promote National Rural Health Day to others; and

• a list of National Rural Health Day Key Messages to emphasize when promoting your event and/or reaching out to media, potential partners and other stakeholders.

 We’ll be posting even more resources throughout August and September, so be sure to visit the National Rural Health Day website on a regular basis.