Hot Springs, SD - Fall River Health Services is proud to recognize the innovation, quality of care, and dedication of health professionals and volunteers in our community during National Rural Health Day 2020. National Rural Health Day falls on the third Thursday in November each year.
National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) founded National Rural Health Day as a way to showcase rural America; increase awareness of rural health-related challenges; and promote the efforts of NOSORH, State Offices of Rural Health and others in addressing those challenges. Fall River Health Services is not planning any public celebration this year but wants to remind our patients and staff of the important role FRHS plays in a Rural Health Community.
An estimated 57 million people – nearly one in five Americans – live in rural and frontier communities throughout the United States. “These rural communities are wonderful places to live and work; they are places where neighbors know each other and work together,” says Tricia Uhlir, CEO FRHS. “These rural health clinics and hospitals not only provide quality patient care, but they also help keep good jobs in rural America.”
“Today more than ever, rural communities must tackle accessibility issues, a lack of healthcare providers, the needs of an aging population suffering from a greater number of chronic conditions, and larger percentages of un- and underinsured citizens,” says Teryl Eisinger, NOSORH CEO. “Meanwhile, rural hospitals are threatened with declining reimbursement rates and disproportionate funding levels that makes it challenging to serve their residents.”
State Offices of Rural Health play a key role in addressing those needs. All 50 states maintain a State Office of Rural Health, each of which shares a similar mission: to foster relationships, disseminate information and provide technical assistance that improves access to, and the quality of, health care for its rural citizens.
Fall River Health Services supports rural citizens through the entire healthcare continuum. Our healthcare facility provides services to Fall River and surrounding counties 365 days a year! We feel blessed to offer top-quality services to our community members through the Rural Health Clinic, Critical Access Hospital, 24-Hour Emergency Department, Outpatient Services and Seven Sisters Living Center.
To learn more about Fall River Health Services and the services that we provide, visit www.frhssd.org.