Original Message:
Sent: 10-02-2023 09:29:11 AM
From: Lloyd Michener
Subject: Rethinking Rural Health Issue Brief
Thanks, Atul and colleagues, for your attention to the issues and challenges of improving the health of rural communities, and the need for system approaches. I would go further, and underscore the need to ground this work in the priorities and strengths of rural communities, and build their capacity to find solutions that work for them. These points were highlighted in recent reports on rural mistrust in public health interventions https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10084067/ , the National Governors Association https://www.nga.org/news/commentary/governors-and-states-are-advancing-equitable-rural-economic-development-and-healthcare/ and the Urban Institute https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-improve-evidence-drive-rural-policy-and-investments I've personally learned the importance of going to and listening to rural communities, and the Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation sponsors and supports meetings across North Carolina's diverse rural communities, led by community leaders, and with local, state, federal and national participants (including HHS and CMS) https://foundationhli.org/ncrha/
The National Rural Health Association might be a good partner for the AAMC in developing policy for improving rural health, and could help in designing solutions for rural communities, with their active engagement and participation, in ways that improve health, build trust, and sustain and support local communities.
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Lloyd Michener, MD
Professor Emeritus, Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, Duke School of Medicine
Adjunct Professor, Public Health Leadership, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Original Message:
Sent: 09-27-2023 03:21:58 PM
From: Atul Grover
Subject: Rethinking Rural Health Issue Brief
The AAMC Research and Action Institute has released a new issue brief on rural health care in the U.S. For nearly a century, policy experts have talked about the "solution" to the problem as simply getting a primary care doctor in every county. It hasn't happened, and it never will. Additionally, there's no one-size-fits-all policy solution. The problems and solutions for each rural community are too different to be solved by any one single policy.
The brief suggests that while policy interventions that geographically locate primary care providers in rural areas have been important and successful, future policies must address access to other types of care. These policies must make new modalities of delivery available to rural residents to improve local (and virtual) access to health care.
Along with this latest brief, you can find all the Institute's work on our new website that launched today: aamcresearchinstitute.org
I welcome your advice, criticism, and insight. What do you think are the main challenges and policy solutions for #ruralhealth care?
#issue-brief #health-policy
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Atul Grover, MD, PhD
Inaugural Executive Director, Research and Action Institute
Association of American Medical Colleges
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