The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is a national

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that professio ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

with more than 18,000 members. The association’s mission is to provide leadership on

rural health In medicine, rural health or rural medicine is the interdisciplinary study of health and health care delivery in rural environments. The concept of rural health incorporates many fields, including geography, midwifery, nursing, sociology, economi ...

issues, which it attempts to carry out through education, communication, and advocacy. The NRHA membership is made up of a diverse collection of individuals and organizations, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health. Many member organizations have specific facility designations such as

critical access hospital The Critical Access Hospital program is a United States federal program established in 1997 as part of the Balanced Budget Act. The program aims to offer small hospitals in rural areas to serve residents that would otherwise be a long distance from ...

rural health clinic A rural health clinic (RHC) is a clinic located in a rural, medically under-served area in the United States that has a separate reimbursement structure from the standard medical office under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. RHCs were establish ...

s, or community health centers.

History

In the mid to late 1970s, a small group of rural community health centers began to coalesce around the need for an independent association to make sure the rural-specific needs of the community health center movement was represented. In 1978, the National Rural Primary Care Association (NRPCA) was founded and based in

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...

The NRPCA would move its headquarters to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

in 1983, where it remains to this day. In the early 1980s two additional rural health associations were formed with similar desires to represent the rural-specific needs within their larger professional groups. The American Rural Health Association (ARHA) was formed in 1980 primarily made up of rural health researchers. The goal of the ARHA was to "become a definitive source of information on rural health." In February 1981, the American Small and Rural Hospital Association (ASRHA) was formed. In 1984, the Board of the NRPCA changed the association's name to the National Rural Health Care Association (NRHCA). In doing so, the association moved past its mainly community health center roots and allowed other providers as segments of its membership. This change prepared the way for the NRHCA to eventually merge with both the ARHA and the ASRHA. These mergers took place in 1987 and 1986, respectively. These mergers led to a change of the name to the National Rural Health Association, a "new unified voice for rural health." NRHA' roots in professional-specific rural organizations has led to a membership structure that contains specific constituency groups for different rural health interests. These associations within an association each have seats on the NRHA board of trustees and its policy setting body. Many also have their own conference or tracks within larger NRHA conferences.

References

External links

National Rural Health Association

Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Rural Health Policy

Rural Health Information Hub
{{authority control 1978 establishments in Maine Medical associations based in the United States Organizations based in Kansas City, Missouri Organizations established in 1978 Rural society in the United States

History

See also

References

External links