The Rural Health Association of Tennessee's Call for Proposals for our 2024 Annual Conference is now open!

Join RHA as we celebrate 30 years of advocating for rural health in Tennessee. Submit proposals on your research, experience, collaborations, and projects related to the following: 

Join us for an eight-week webinar series, "Health for All: A Language Inclusion Webinar Series," to discuss varying populations within our rural communities that experience a larger gap in health disparities. This webinar series will be held weekly beginning on February 29th at 11am CST and go through April 25th.

Presentations will include the following: Rural Populations, Family Structure, Age and Ability, Domestic Violence Survivors, Gender and Sexual Orientation, Body Size and Weight, Substance Use Disorder, and Race and Ethnicity. Register for the webinars below, or email [email protected] to register for all.

Rural Health of Association of Tennessee celebrated National Rural Health Day on November 16th in Knoxville, Tennessee at our 29th annual conference, "Shining a Light on Rural Health: Advocating for a Brighter Future." The conference was a dynamic and engaging three days of learning from experts in rural health fields across the state, bringing together professionals within the healthcare field. It provided a platform for the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and experiences, fostering growth and collaboration. Attendees were able to benefit from a diverse range of presentations and panel discussions delivered by leaders in Tennessee. Networking opportunities allowed attendees to establish valuable connections, share insights, and explore potential collaborations. 

Join RHA and Vizient for a partner webinar on "Advancing Facilities and Construction Spend Management" on October 20th at 11am CDT. 

Learn more about how he continued increase in the cost of building materials has added to the financial stress in an already burdened healthcare industry. As health systems continue to expand to meet patient needs, the need to rethink their capital strategies to ensure the delivery of projects that meet patient needs in the most operationally efficient and cost effective manner has never been more relevant. As leaders look to the future, there is a clear need to develop more integrated and comprehensive strategic solutions.

Action for Healthy Kids has allocated nearly $30 million in subgrants to 264 school districts across 44 states and the District of Columbia, as part of a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative. This initiative aims to enhance student nutrition and meal quality in high-need schools. This program marks the largest targeted investment by the USDA for school meal programs in small and rural communities, promoting better nutrition for all students.

The funds, provided by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, will benefit small and rural school districts, empowering them to modernize their operations and provide healthier meals. Each eligible school district can receive up to $150,000, which can be used for activities like staff training, kitchen upgrades, redesigning food service spaces, and bringing in educated nutrition/dietician staff.

This week we recognize our community health centers in honor of National Community Health Centers Week, August 6th-12th. Community Health Centers (CHCs) dismantle obstacles to healthcare by catering to every patient, regardless of their insurance situation or financial capacity. They furnish care that is culturally and linguistically suitable, and extend enabling services to tackle non-medical necessities.

CHCs represent consumer-oriented and patient-centric institutions that fulfill the role of a comprehensive and economically viable primary healthcare solution for the most marginalized communities. These centers enhance healthcare accessibility and deliver integrated services tailored to the distinct needs of the populations they support. 

Do you have TennCare or serve those who do? Mandatory re-enrollment of TennCare, Tennessee's state Medicaid program, has started, and we are here to help! We are partnering with Anderson County and Clinton City Schools to participate in their Family Resource Fair!

Join us to if you are in need of help with re-enrollment on May 11th, from 3:00pm-6:00pm at the Clinton Community Center, 101 S. Hicks St., Clinton, TN 37716. 

Brain Links is sharing a brief set of resources with partners as part of Tennessee Disability Coalition’s Tennessee Brighter Futures (TBF) Collaborative. The mission of TBF is Building brighter futures for Tennesseans by improving how systems of support collaborate to identify, educate and serve people with co-occurring needs.

The Collaborative meets every other month to learn about the intersections between brain injury and other systems of support and have a speaker from one of the systems present to our group. We learn more from each system as we go and we actively exchange resources like infographics, websites, screening tools and training to share to support one another and ultimately, better support those we serve.  

RHA members and staff traveled to Nashville for the Rural Health Association's Day on the Hill March 7th, 2023. While there, RHA met with several members of Tennessee's legislative branch to talk Rural Health Workforce, Rural Health Clinic Modernization, and Maternal Health. 

A special thanks to the following offices for meeting with us:   

Congratulations to Jalynn Burress, Calandra Traylor, Errion Bells, and Adrienne Williams, who became Certified Licensed Phlebotomist in the month of September. They attended the phlebotomy course at Professional Allied Health, LLC in Memphis. The participants were referred by Kimberly Burse, Staff Development Coordinator, at Pine Meadows Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Bolivar, TN. They have been working with Maddy Rymer and Patty Lane, workforce development staff at the Rural Health Association of TN. 

Delta Regional Authority grant funding made it possible for the RHA workforce team to provide supportive services and case management support for the past six months.  Employees are encouraged to gain additional certifications and credentials along their healthcare journey.

The following statement is from STLT Policy & Public Health Partnerships in regards to under 5 year old vaccinations:

On Saturday, June 18^th, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation to expand COVID-19 vaccination to children younger than 5 years of age. This decision now universally recommends COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 6 months and older, paving the way for about 20 million children in this age group to get vaccinated and allowing providers to begin vaccinating with either the Moderna or the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as soon as possible.

Registration for this event is closed. 

Join us on May 17th from 9:00am-2:00pm ET at Bishop Hall at East Tennessee State University as we partner with ETSU Rural and Community Programs and Coordinated School Health to bring you RHA of TN's East Tennessee Regional Event: "Rural Resilience: Strengthening Restoration through Partnerships and Collaboration."

General Preventive Medicine & Public Health Residency Program

The Public Health and General Preventive Medicine Residency Program (GPM) at Meharry Medical College (MMC) is for individuals who want to pursue a career in Preventive Medicine with a special interest in Maternal and Child Health, with emphasis on the health of underserved and rural communities. Board certification in a Primary care specialty will be enhanced by additional education and experiences in public health and prevention.

GetCovered Tennessee, a healthcare access program of Family and Children’s Service, is a great resource here in Tennessee! They are the state grantee for connecting uninsured Tennesseans with health insurance through TNCARE/CoverKids/Affordable Care Act. FCS is a non-profit offering free healthcare access service in all 95 Tennessee counties, and their services are free of charge. In addition to enrollment, they also provide educational training on TNCARE/Coverkids/Affordable Care Act or Health Assist Safety net programs, such as how to use your insurance coverage and what the insurance terms mean. 

GetCoveredTenn is a non-profit program providing free health insurance enrollment and healthcare advice to all Tennesseans. GetCoveredTenn has a team of 20 experts to help Tennesseans find quality healthcare through affordable insurance, access to community-based healthcare services, or both. Their services are free and unbiased.

WEST TN COMMUNITY RESOURCE EXPO

Everyone is welcome! Stop by to learn about health and wellness, employment opportunities, apprenticeships, volunteer programs, home ownership, education, and other resources.

For a table or more information please contact: Mandy Garman with TN Housing Development Agency at [email protected]

The March of Dimes Maternal HealthCARE (Collaborative to Advance Racial Equity) is taking a novel approach to community engagement that generates honest feedback that is of value to hospitals and health systems. This collaborative is seeking additional partnerships with statewide partners to join this collaborative. RHA of TN wants to be sure that the voices of rural Tennesseans are heard. If you or someone that you know would like to be apart of this collaboration, apply here. 

Find out more information at: 

Are you curious about what leadership solutions are available for rural healthcare leaders who are passionate about making a difference? This week on Rural Health Leadership Radio we explore another rural-focused leadership program that’s working to improve health equity, NRHA’s Rural Health Fellows Program. 

NRHA’s Rural Health Fellows program is a yearlong, intensive training program that develops leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling vision for rural America. Each year, NRHA selects 10 to 15 highly motivated individuals who have proven their dedication to improving the health of rural Americans through their educational or professional experience. The goal of the Fellows program is to educate and develop a network of diverse rural leaders that will step forward to serve in key positions in the association, affiliated advocacy groups, and local and state legislative bodies with health equity as the main focus. For more information, go to https://www.ruralhealth.us/programs/rural-health-fellows

Listen on Rural Health Leadership Radio