Supporting Access to Care in Rural Communities

In Elma, Wash., Summit Pacific Medical Center uses innovative approaches to address the region’s significant health challenges, including high rates of chronic disease, economic hardship and poor health factors. For example, the critical access hospital’s Food as Medicine (Rx) Program offers education through a nutritionist, cooking classes and weekly food subscription boxes to combat high rates of diabetes and poor dietary habits.

In Lincoln, Neb., Atrium Health Lincoln’s innovative use of a virtual therapy program has greatly expanded access to care to underserved communities, accounting for approximately 18,000 therapy visits in 2023 and resulting in a more than 30% improvement in depressive and anxiety symptoms among participants.

In Seymour, Ind., Schneck Medical Center, the only hospital in rural Jackson County, is the backbone organization for the Healthy Jackson County coalition, highlighting the impact of collaboration in the reduction of chronic disease. Schneck also spearheads and supports programs fighting food insecurity; addressing the specific needs of the area’s Latino population; and bringing care to those with mental health and substance use disorders.  

These hospitals, which were finalists for the 2024 AHA Rural Hospital Leadership Award, and the more than 1,700 rural hospitals across the country are the heart of health care for rural America.  

More than 57 million rural Americans depend on their hospital not only as an important source of care but also as a critical component of their area's economic and social framework. Rural hospitals also face the same difficulties shared by many hospitals — including financial stress, workforce shortages, and inadequate reimbursement from government payers like Medicare and Medicaid, just to name a few.

Moreover, rural hospitals face other unique challenges. For example, they often handle lower patient volumes, making it harder to support essential health services; face higher operating costs for supplies and transportation; and must work harder to recruit and retain health care professionals.

AHA Advocacy Efforts to Support Rural Access to Care. The AHA is engaged in many advocacy efforts to support rural hospitals and ensure access to care in rural communities. For example, we continue to advocate for extending the Medicare-dependent Hospital and Low-volume Adjustment programs, delaying Medicaid disproportionate share hospital cuts, and continuing telehealth programs. The good news is that short-term extensions of these provisions are included in a bipartisan health care package along with a fiscal year 2026 appropriations package that the House passed yesterday and the Senate will consider next week.

At the same time, we are working to protect the 340B Drug Pricing Program from harmful changes and supporting Medicare Advantage payment parity for critical access hospitals. We are urging the Administration to prioritize payments to the state-led Rural Health Transformation Fund, while also working to ensure resources are deployed effectively and advocate for additional support to safeguard care in rural areas.

Two weeks from now, the 2026 AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, to be held Feb. 8-11 in San Antonio, will gather more than 1,000 rural health leaders committed to advancing rural health and providing quality care for patients and communities. Top rural practitioners will share actionable strategies to improve access to care, leverage unique workforce approaches and implement digital technologies.

Among other key themes, the conference will focus on critical areas including transforming care delivery and payment, building a more flexible and sustainable workforce, supporting financial and operational excellence, and igniting innovation.

The four-day event is a terrific showcase for outside-the-box approaches and solutions, as rural members share stories of leveraging community partnerships, deploying technology in new ways, and repurposing existing facilities to meet the needs of the rural populations they serve. Many of these inspiring examples are highlighted on the AHA’s Telling the Hospital Story web pages.

America’s rural hospitals and care teams have forged a special bond with the people and communities they serve. For millions of rural Americans, the blue “H” remains remain a beacon of hope, healing and economic opportunity for their communities. Together, let’s work to ensure that bond of trust is preserved and strengthened to advance health for all.