Rural Health Coalitions

NRHA is a member of a variety of coalitions comprised of like-minded organizations that enhance our advocacy efforts to make targeted requests of Congress and the executive branch to improve the lives of rural Americans. NRHA is an active member of the following coalitions:

• Rural Health Action Alliance
• LOOP Now Coalition
• Rebuild Rural 
• Connect the Future
• Voices for Non-Opioid Choices 
• Oral Health Progress & Equity Network
• Healthcare Messaging Alliance
• National Rural HIT Coalition
• COVID-19 coalitions

• Letter to the Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry (ACTPCMD) to recommend that Title VII health workforce programs be opened to dental therapists - Nov. 1, 2021
• Letter to Congressional leadership in support of proposed investments to Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) within the Build Back Better reconciliation package - Oct. 8, 2021
• Letter to Speaker Pelosi and House Ways and Means Committee Chairs Neal and Pallone in support of legislation to add oral health coverage to Medicare Part B - Sept. 23, 2021
• Letter to Congressional leadership in support of the maternal health provisions in the Build Back Better Act - Sept. 17, 2021
• Letter to CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure to address telehealth policy in the CY 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for rural providers - Sept. 13, 2021
• Letter to Congressional leadership to include Medicaid post-partum coverage in the Build Back Better reconciliation package - Sept. 9, 2021
• Letter to CMS Administator Brooks-LaSure to include stakeholder input as CMS implements the Medicaid supplemental payment reporting system - June 11, 2021

Rural Health Action Alliance

NRHA is a founding member of the Rural Health Action Alliance (RHAA), a coalition of the nation’s leading health care organizations representing providers and facilities that provide millions of Americans with high-quality, evidence-based care – particularly those living and working in rural and underserved areas.

RHAA was formed during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in rural America, and together we seek to advance federal policies to improve rural health outcomes, including access to COVID-19 treatments and vaccines, continued expansion of broadband and telehealth, and equitable resources for rural providers compared to their urban counterparts. When rural America prevails from the pandemic, RHAA is committed to continuing to work together to support rural health and health care.  

RHAA membership: National Rural Health Association, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), American Academy of PAs (AAPA), American Optometric Association (AOA), National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC), American Nurses Association (ANA), American Pharmacists Association (APhA), American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), American Chiropractic Association (ACA), National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), National League for Nursing (NLN), American Psychological Association (APA), American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) 

RHAA letters:  

• Official proclamation

• Letter to Congressional leadership on rural COVID-19 priorities
• Proclamation on National Rural Health Day, 2021
   

In the future, RHAA looks forward to hosting monthly breakfast roundtables to discuss pressing issues facing rural health care. Please contact dc@nrharural.org for more information.

The Lower Out-of-Pockets (LOOP) Now Coalition

Rebuild Rural

The Rebuild Rural Infrastructure Coalition is comprised of more than 260 organizations from across the country focused on rural communities, agricultural producers, businesses, and families. The Rebuild Rural Coalition is dedicated to advocating for investment in rural America's infrastructure and understands that rural needs are fundamentally different. NRHA provides rural health care expertise to the coalition. For more information, visit the ReBuild Rural Coalition website and view the coalition's health care factsheet.

Connect the Future 

Connect the Future’s mission is to ensure every American has access to high-speed, reliable broadband. Notably, 82 percent of those without broadband access live in rural America, while broadband access is becoming increasingly critical to receive health care services and experience economic vitality. Connect the Future members work together to expose barriers to broadband access and identify and advance solutions. For more information, visit Connect the Future’s website. And view the coalition’s most recent letter to House and Senate broadband caucus leaders regarding utility pole access.

Voices for Non-Opioid Choices 

NRHA is a member of the Voices for Non-Opioid Choices Coalition, also known as Voices, a nonpartisan coalition dedicated to preventing opioid addiction by increasing patient access to non-opioid therapies and approaches to managing acute pain. Notably, in rural areas, prescription opioids contribute to a larger share of drug overdose deaths than either heroin or synthetic opioids. The coalition’s public policy platform includes four main priorities:  

1. Patients must be educated and informed about all available, safe, and effective options to treat acute pain. 

2. Federal payment policy must reflect a commitment to patient-centered care that takes into account the ongoing opioid crisis. 

3. Health care providers must be trained in the unique needs of patients seeking treatment for acute pain, including postsurgical pain, and the wide range of options available to them.

4. Policymakers must continue to seek solutions to the opioid crisis that support the full range of treatment options necessary for patients in pain.  

For more information, visit the coalition's website.   

Oral Health Progress and Equity Network

Over the last decade, the Oral Health Progress and Equity Network (OPEN) has emerged from a nationwide conversation among policymakers, providers, public health activists, and grassroots organizers who understand that today’s system of health care isn’t working to support everyone’s overall health and well-being. They recognize that it’s time to work together to build a new reality. The network started as “OH2014,” evolved into “OH2020,” and today is OPEN — a national coalition of more than 2,200 members taking on America’s oral health challenges so everyone has an equitable chance to thrive. You can learn more about OPEN by visiting their website. 

 

Healthcare Messaging Alliance 

The Health Care Messaging Alliance is an informal group of organizations coming together to implement findings from messaging research to bring our nation together to improve health and health care for all families. This coalition convenes CEOs, presidents, and executive directors — as well as communications staff — to use messaging research to create greater understanding and socialization on how the public understands and internalizes health and health issues in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and explore ways that we can implement these findings in our work, both collectively and as individual organizations. Recent resources supported by the Alliance include the Health Care Drumbeat Digital Toolkit and United for Health. 

National Rural HIT Coalition 

The National Rural Health Information Technology (HIT) Coalition is an informal network of rural and HIT leaders from organizations, at every level, working together to advance the implementation of HIT across rural America by: 

• Enhancing the understanding of rural HIT issues, including workforce shortages and ways to address them 

• Advocating for HIT applications and solutions relevant to rural facilities 

• Helping to drive knowledge and information about rural HIT throughout the country. 
   

The National Rural HIT Coalition is supported by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and coordinated by the Technical Assistance and Services Center (TASC), a program of the National Rural Health Resource Center. The National Rural HIT Coalition meets by conference call and annually in-person. For more information, email tasc@ruralcenter.org or visit the National Rural HIT Coalition website. 

COVID-19 Coalitions 

Rural Americans often face barriers to achieving healthy lives, stemming from economic factors, environmental differences, and feelings of isolation associated with living in remote areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these challenges, revealing a critical need for increased rapid response efforts in COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination. NRHA is partnering with likeminded stakeholders to leverage existing strategies and identify new opportunities to increase COVID-19 testing, treatment, mitigation, and vaccine confidence efforts in rural communities. Examples of these partnerships include:

The COVID-19 Community Corps & We Can Do This Campaign 

NRHA is a proud member of the COVID-19 Community Corps, a nationwide, grassroots network of trusted local voices encouraging Americans to get vaccinated. The We Can Do This Campaign is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ national COVID-19 public education campaign to increase confidence in and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines while reinforcing basic prevention measures such as social distancing and wearing masks. 

Alliance for Disease Prevention and Response  

This coalition was created by the American Public Health Association (APHA) to be a collaborative movement for COVID-19 management and long-term disease prevention.  

Made to Save 

Made to Save is a national education and grassroots campaign led by Civic Nation that is working to save lives by increasing access to COVID-19 vaccines. 

If you are interested in having NRHA participate in a coalition, please contact dc@nrharural.org.