Colorado Rural Health Center Celebrates National Rural Health Day with Southwest Health System
TL;DR
The Colorado Rural Health Center's recognition of Southwest Health System highlights how rural healthcare facilities gain competitive advantage by building strong community partnerships and state support.
The Colorado Rural Health Center celebrated National Rural Health Day through a catered meal, leadership remarks, and reading of a Governor's Proclamation at Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez.
This celebration honors rural healthcare providers who ensure essential medical services reach isolated communities, making Colorado a healthier and more equitable place for all residents.
Since 2011, National Rural Health Day has celebrated rural communities every third Thursday in November, this year featuring Southwest Health System's vital safety net hospital work.
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The Colorado Rural Health Center, serving as both the State Office of Rural Health and State Rural Health Association, marked National Rural Health Day with celebrations at Southwest Health System in Cortez, Colorado. The annual event, observed on the third Thursday of November since 2011, recognizes the contributions of rural communities and healthcare providers throughout the state. CRHC CEO Michelle Mills emphasized the significance of the occasion, stating that National Rural Health Day provides an opportunity to acknowledge how important rural healthcare facilities are to communities across rural and frontier Colorado.
This year's celebration featured a locally catered meal and remarks from leadership of both organizations. The CRHC secured and presented a Governor's Proclamation honoring rural healthcare facilities statewide for their service to communities. The event brought together healthcare staff, caregivers, and community partners to recognize the vital work occurring in rural healthcare settings. Southwest Health System CEO Joe Thein expressed appreciation for the recognition, noting the honor of having staff, caregivers, and community partners together to celebrate rural healthcare at national, state, and local levels.
As a critical safety net hospital in Montezuma County, Southwest Health System provides essential healthcare services to a geographically isolated region. The facility offers not only urgent and emergency care but also comprehensive primary and specialty medical services to meet diverse community needs. This underscores the importance of maintaining robust healthcare infrastructure in rural areas where access to medical services can be limited by distance and resource constraints.
Lisa Gates, Southwest Health System Chief Nursing Officer, emphasized the dedication of rural healthcare workers in her remarks, noting that rural healthcare providers and staff are the backbone of medical care in their community. She highlighted their unwavering commitment, resourcefulness, and compassion in ensuring everyday patients receive essential health services, often under challenging circumstances. This recognition matters because rural healthcare facilities frequently operate with limited resources while serving populations that might otherwise lack access to critical medical care.
The celebration underscored the ongoing challenges faced by rural healthcare facilities, including resource limitations and geographic isolation, while highlighting the resilience and commitment of healthcare professionals serving these communities. Mills concluded the celebration by expressing gratitude to all rural facilities and communities on National Rural Health Day. For additional information about rural healthcare initiatives in Colorado, visit https://www.coruralhealth.org.
Curated from 24-7 Press Release
