Rural Health Care

About Rural Health Care

California’s nearly five dozen rural hospitals — providing care to more than 2 million people — are both lifelines and economic pillars for the communities they serve. Many of these hospitals are on the financial brink, reducing services just to stay open, or they face the possibility of closure. These situations place the most vulnerable populations at risk as Californians will have to travel great distances to get the care they need.

The California Critical Access Hospital Network (CCAHN) is a statewide organization which exists for the purpose of creating collaborative working relationships among California critical access hospitals to strengthen its members through sharing resources, education, and innovation.

CHA’s Rural Health Care Symposium Brings Hospital Leaders Together on Critical Issues

What’s happening: Timely educational offerings and productive discussions at CHA’s Rural Health Care Symposium on March 4-5 will help shape future organizational strategies for rural and critical access hospitals.  

What else to know: With record attendance, the 71 members representing 35 rural and critical access hospitals received updates on CHA’s state and federal legislative efforts, rural seismic strategies, and Medi-Cal and state finances. 

Office of Climate Change and Health Equity Launches Support Program

What’s happening: This month, the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) launched an educational webinar series. It’s a “catalytic program” for health care providers to best utilize benefits included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).  

What else to know: National education webinars for general IRA utilization will begin on Jan. 25. Registration for both the national sessions and breakout sessions (referenced below) is open on the program website.