Latest news with #RuralHealthLegislatoroftheYear
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
North Dakota public health awardees announced, including Langdon hospital
Jun. 3—GRAND FORKS — Several people and a health care facility in northeastern North Dakota will be among those receiving awards later this month at the 40th Annual Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health in Bismarck. The award recipients will include: * Alan O'Neil, CEO of Unity Medical Center in Grafton, who will receive the Outstanding Rural Health Career Award; * Linda Conneran, of Grand Forks, who has been named Outstanding Rural Health Volunteer of the Year for her work with Hospice of the Red River Valley; * State Rep. Jon Nelson, of Rugby, serving District 14 in the North Dakota House, who has been named Rural Health Legislator of the Year, in recognition of his work, especially, on developing more local behavioral health and addiction services in underserved rural communities during the 2025 legislative session; and * Langdon Prairie Health Clinic and Hospital in Langdon, North Dakota, which will receive the Flex Quality Reporting Award. The outstanding rural and public health advocates will be honored during the Rural and Public Health Award Banquet, which is set for 11:50 a.m. June 18 at the Bismarck Event Center. Tickets for the awards banquet are free for conference participants and $30 for those who are not registered for the conference. Registration is mandatory for those who wish to attend. For more information on obtaining tickets, go to . The Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health is an opportunity for health care professionals, educators and students to share strategies for sustaining healthy North Dakota communities. In addition to the awards banquet, the conference features workshops, keynote speakers and poster presentations. The conference is a joint effort of the North Dakota Rural Health Association; the North Dakota Public Health Association; Altru Health System; the UND College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines; and the Center for Rural Health at UND.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Past president of Alabama Rural Health Association weighs in on rural hospital closures
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — 27 rural hospitals are at risk of closing in the state of Alabama, that's according to Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. Seven rural hospitals in the state have closed since 2011, according to the Alabama Hospital Association. On Thursday, CBS 42 News stopped by the 2025 Alabama Rural Health Conference in Hoover to talk with the past president of the Alabama Rural Health Association about how we got here. 'A lot of it just boils down to funding,' noted Ferrell Turner, who is also the CEO of Physicians Care in Clarke County. 'What I mean by that is in some cases funding from if they are say a governmental hospital, so they be owned by the county or the city or somebody like that, and they may get some funding that way, but it's primarily the re-imbursement.' Ferrell said re-imbursement rates in Alabama are among the lowest in the country. They get compensated either by the patient, an insurance company, or Medicare or Medicaid. John Green to speak at Alys Stephens Center in June 'It's rather difficult to operate hospitals if you're not getting paid for what you do,' he added. Having your hospital close down isn't necessarily a bad thing, according to Dr. Nick Gillespie who practices in Moulton, Alabama. He said Lawrence Medical Center closed it's doors several weeks ago. 'With the improvement in healthcare, the improvement in medication, the way it's going we just don't have that need anymore.' Dr. Gillespie said what they do need in Moulton, however, is emergency services and a good diagnostic center. He remarked that he's not speaking for every hospital everywhere. State Representative Ron Bolton was awarded 'Rural Health Legislator of the Year' at the Alabama Rural Health Conference on Thursday. He said the closing of the Pickens County Hospital in March of 2020 has had an impact on his constituents. 'Right now we're having to move people to our other hospitals in Tuscaloosa and Columbus, but we're doing everything that we can to try and get that hospital back open.' Bolton said they hope to be able to qualify for a federal program for a rural emergency hospital at some point. To make that happen though, a bill would need to pass that would allow applicants that were operational through March of 2020 to be considered. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
