The Tennessee Area Health Education Center (TN AHEC) Scholars Program is part of a national initiative to prepare tomorrow’s health professionals to become leaders in inter-professional, transformative practice settings, and to serve in areas and populations with the greatest needs. The program promotes a coordinated approach to education and training for graduate level health professions students with the knowledge and skills to provide culturally competent, quality health care services, especially in rural and medically underserved areas. 

For more information about the program, contact Natasha Yokley at [email protected]. Ready to apply? Access the application by clicking here.

We invite you to be a part of the conversation around rural health care by registering for our 29th Annual Conference, "Shining a Light on Rural Health, Advocating for a Brighter Future!" Enjoy networking with like-minded professionals, learning from industry experts, attending engaging sessions, and being part of shaping the future of rural health care in Tennessee. 

To register, and for more information about hotel accommodations and sponsorship opportunities, click here.

Congratulations to the following RHA members for their recent grant awards from TDH in the state's commitment to healthcare resiliency and transformation in the following categories: 

Practice Transformation and Extension Grant Program – Hospitals
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Unity Medical Center, Macon Community Hospital

Practice Transformation and Extension Grant Program - Other Health and Healthcare Service Providers
Access Medical Care of Monroe County, Bledsoe County School District, Bradley County Schools, Dayton County Schools, East Tennessee State University, Healing Hands Health Center, Inc. , Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic, Inc., Servolution Health Services, Inc., UT Health Science Center, Van Buren County Schools.

Join us for a virtual training webinar on Naloxone on June 27th from 11 am - 12 pm CDT! Topics to be covered include the causes and impacts of the overdose epidemic, the impact of substance misuse on the brain, harm reduction principles, recognizing and responding to an overdose, and how to administer Naloxone. 

Presenter:
Marissa Valentine
Sevier County Regional Overdose Prevention Specialist (ROPS)
Sevier County Office of Alcohol and Drug Programs
Sevier County C.A.R.E.S.

Register

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provides answers to general and program-specific inquiries including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and private insurance in an informative publication available here.

Rural Health Association of Tennessee’s Job Board features more than 100 jobs from 50+ hiring employers across the state, including hourly and salaried positions. Connect with potential employers, apply for jobs, and set up interviews through our Job Board.

Join us in this virtual event by applying for open positions across the state! 

Rural Health Association is ready to assist patients in keeping their TennCare Coverage! Trained assisters will be at Saint Louise Clinic in Murfreesboro each Friday in May and June from 9am - 1pm CT to help individuals determine if they are still eligible for TennCare and provide other helpful information. Can’t attend the event? Call 866-675-7092 or click here to schedule an appointment with a trained assister.

The address for Saint Louise Clinic is 1020 N Highland Ave A, Murfreesboro, TN 37130.

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. 

Rural Health Association of Tennessee invites you to learn more about provider recruitment and retention and how to become a National Health Service Corps Site. Elizabeth Burrows with Burrows Consulting will be presenting this webinar on May 23rd at 10am CST.

Learning Objectives include: 

RCORP Drug Take-Back Event Flyer

Rural Health Association of Tennessee (RHA) has released an RCORP Drug Take-Back Event Flyer. Attached below is a flyer template with space for event details and a logo, as well as a PDF of instructions for using the flyer template. If you have a drug take-back event coming up, get the word out by using the resources below!

View the instructions and editable flyer here.

Join us this spring! 

Regional events are an opportunity to learn more about health issues affecting your community, such as substance use disorder, maternal health, and more. Lunch will be provided to in-person attendees.

A Town Hall, moderated by Jacy Warrell, RHA's CEO, will be available from 2:00-3:00pm. 

Rural Health Association of Tennessee (RHA) released a Rural Health Workforce Ready report featuring successes  from their pilot workforce development program aimed at addressing the state’s workforce shortages.

The program launched in West Tennessee with funding from Delta Regional Authority and Amerigroup before expanding to other parts of the state. Over the past two years, RHA has assisted more than 300 aspiring healthcare professionals seeking certification and employment. To support career pathway development, RHA partnered with K-12 schools and community colleges to train more than 700 students in goal setting, healthcare careers, and communication skills.

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:   

Rural Health Association of Tennessee’s (RHA) Board Secretary, Dr. Brenda Jones, testified February 28^th in from of  the Tennessee Senate’s Commerce and Labor Committee in support of Senate Bill 394/HB 738 that would establish a recognized Doula certification.

Dr. Jones is an assistant professor at Lee University, a CNM, FNP, Public Health Professional, residing in Bradley County, TN. Throughout her career as a Certified Nurse Midwife, she has attended over 2,500 deliveries. Dr. Jones’ full testimony can be viewed below along with a handout highlighting maternal health in Tennessee.

Tennessee has among the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the nation. RHA advocates for programs and

policies that prevent teenage pregnancy, provides case management services to pregnant women, and advances professional knowledge of providers.

RHA has published a Maternal Health in Tennessee policy brief modeled after the National Rural Health Association's 2021 Rural Obstetric Unit Closures and Maternal and Infant Health.

RHA members and staff traveled to Washington D.C. for the National Rural Health Association's Policy Institute February 7th - 9th 2023. While there, RHA met with several members of Tennessee's congressional delegation to talk Rural Hospitals, Rural Health Clinic Modernization, and Maternal Health.

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

RHA is delighted to share a summary of our member events and  programs for 2022. Thank you to our members, staff, funders, and many community partners for your support the past year!

Click here to view the online report
Click here to download a PDF of the report