GRAVETTE -- Ozarks Community Hospital in Gravette will be joining the nation Thursday, Nov. 20, in celebrating the importance of providing healthcare access to rural communities.
Community members are invited to celebrate Rural Health Day with OCH by attending a reception at 2 p.m. Thursday in the hospital cafeteria. Cake and ice cream will be served and a documentary film showing the history of the hospital will be shown, according to OCH marketing manager Amanda Gittlein.
National Rural Health Day is led by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health each November and honors the efforts of healthcare providers, state offices and other rural stakeholders who actively work to address the challenges of meeting those needs.
"Nearly one in five Americans call rural communities home. These communities have unique healthcare needs due to the larger percentages of uninsured and under-insured residents," says Paul Taylor, CEO. "Our hospital system is dedicated to growing and improving access to primary care in these areas."
The OCH health system includes designated Rural Health Clinics in Mt. Vernon, Marshfield, Rogersville, Noel and Bolivar, Mo. These clinics are designated RHCs by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and provide access to physicians, nurse practitioners and other specialty services.
In 1977, Congress established the Rural Health Clinic Program to address an inadequate supply of physicians serving Medicare patients in rural areas and to increase the use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in these areas. Today there are approximately 4,000 RHCs nationwide providing access to primary care services in rural areas.
OCH is a safety-net health system made up of two hospitals and 15 rural and urban clinics located throughout Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas. OCH is dedicated to providing exceptional healthcare and preventive services to all patients in an atmosphere of compassion, respect and dignity, with a commitment to care for the underserved and to improve access to care. For more information about OCH, visit www.OCHonline.com.
Community on 11/19/2014