Champion Your Health: Supporting Healthy Aging in Rural Communities During Older Americans Month Each May, Older Americans Month (OAM) recognizes the contributions, resilience, and strength of older adults while encouraging communities to support healthy aging and independence. Led by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the 2026 Older Americans Month theme, “Champion Your Health,” focuses on prevention, wellness, informed decision-making, and empowering older adults to take an active role in

WVRHA Announces 33rd Annual West Virginia Rural Health Conference in Huntington, WV Huntington, WV — The West Virginia Rural Health Association (WVRHA) is proud to announce the 33rd Annual West Virginia Rural Health Conference, taking place November 12–14, 2025, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Huntington, West Virginia. As the largest annual gathering of rural health professionals in the state, this year’s conference will center around the theme:“Building Bridges: Amplifying

Meet the Mountain Movers: Dr. Katherine Calloway, WVRHA Board President   Regional Assistant Dean, WVSOM | Director of Clinical Development, Hospice Care WV   Dr. Katherine Calloway is Leading WVRHA with Heart and Vision   We’re proud to launch our Board Member Spotlight Series: Meet the Mountain Movers by introducing the incredible leader at the helm of WVRHA: Dr. Katherine Calloway. A dedicated physician, public health leader, and global health

 Rural Hospital Stabilization Program  RHSP helps rural hospitals across the country improve their financial stability by enhancing or expanding health care services that meet community needs and keep care close to home. The Rural Hospital Stabilization Program (RHSP) is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and administered by the National Rural Health Resource Center. RHSP offers assistance to rural hospitals, at no cost to them, to help them improve

Obstetric Care Access at Rural and Urban Hospitals in the United States In the United States, access to maternity care in rural counties continues to decline. Last week, JAMA Network published a research article from the FORHP-funded University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center showing that rural counties with no hospital-based obstetric services increased from 54 percent of rural counties in 2014 to almost 59 percent in 2022. The study

  ACA Rollback Will Dramatically Alter Healthcare Landscape In my lifetime, I watched at least two friends die from cancer because they could not afford health care. One woman was 27 years old. The other 54.  They were diagnosed early, in community clinics.  Neither could afford costly chemotherapy. One had health insurance and still could not afford lifesaving cancer treatment.  This was prior to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Both