RHA members and staff traveled to Nashville for the Rural Health Association's Day on the Hill March 7th, 2023. While there, RHA met with several members of Tennessee's legislative branch to talk Rural Health Workforce, Rural Health Clinic Modernization, and Maternal Health.
A special thanks to the following offices for meeting with us:
Rural Health Association of Tennessee’s (RHA) Board Secretary, Dr. Brenda Jones, testified February 28th in from of 
the Tennessee Senate’s Commerce and Labor Committee in support of Senate Bill 394/HB 738 that would establish a recognized Doula certification.
Dr. Jones is an assistant professor at Lee University, a CNM, FNP, Public Health Professional, residing in Bradley County, TN. Throughout her career as a Certified Nurse Midwife, she has attended over 2,500 deliveries. Dr. Jones’ full testimony can be viewed below along with a handout highlighting maternal health in Tennessee.
Tennessee has among the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the nation. RHA advocates for programs and
policies that prevent teenage pregnancy, provides case management services to pregnant women, and advances professional knowledge of providers.
RHA has published a Maternal Health in Tennessee policy brief modeled after the National Rural Health Association's 2021 Rural Obstetric Unit Closures and Maternal and Infant Health.
RHA members and staff traveled to Washington D.C. for the National Rural Health Association's Policy Institute February 7th - 9th 2023. While there, RHA met with several members of Tennessee's congressional delegation to talk Rural Hospitals, Rural Health Clinic Modernization, and Maternal Health.
A special thanks to the following offices for meeting with us:
If you missed hearing from the Tennessee Division of TennCare you can view the recording of the webinar by clicking the link below.
Our guest speakers included: Drew Staniewski, Deputy Director of TennCare; Zane Seals, Chief Financial Officer TennCare; Jacy Warrell, Executive Director of RHA of TN; and Nathan Baugh, Executive Director of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics.
We are hosting a RHC Meet & Greet to provide a space to connect with Rural Health Clinics. As a member led organization, we want to hear from you!
This FREE event will be held 11/16/2022 at 10am EST during our annual conference at the Music Road Resort Convention Center in Pigeon Forge, TN.
TPHA Executive Director Kim Harrell; TPHA President Christian Williams, DrPH, MPH;
RHA of TN would like to congratulate Ann Cranford the Director of the Recruitment and Retention Program in the State Office of Rural Health.
Ann has been a member of RHA of TN for several years. Recently, at the 3RNet Annual Conference she received the Fred Moskol Award. This award recognizes a person who possesses outstanding leadership abilities, supports the mission of 3RNET, responds compassionately to the healthcare needs of rural and underserved populations and does so with a collaborative and compassionate spirit.
Allie Haynes will represent Rural Health Association of Tennessee on Tennessee Council on Developmental 
Disabilities. The Council, established by the federal Developmental Disabilities Act (Spanish language version of the Developmental Disabilities Act.) and by Tennessee Executive Order 50 exists to:
To learn more about the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, visit their website.
Would you like to learn more about maternal health in Tennessee? Family planning, pre- and postnatal care, maternal health disparities, roles of maternal healthcare professionals, maternal and fetal mortality rates are just a few of the topics that will be discussed in this webinar.
Learning Objectives:The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposes new rule that creates a pathway for rural hospitals and critical access hospitals to increase access to emergency and outpatient care.
Click here to read CMS' statement on Expanding Access to Emergency Care Services in Rural Communities
Click here to read the Fact Sheet on Conditions of Participation for Rural Emergency Hospitals and Critical Access Hospital COP Updates (CMS-3419-P)
The TN AHEC Scholars Program seeks to develop, prepare, and sustain a culturally competent healthcare workforce that is prepared to deliver high quality care in a transforming heath care delivery system, with emphasis on training rural and urban underrepresented minority, and educationally disadvantaged students for practice in rural and/or underserved areas.
TN AHEC is currently accepting applications for the 2022-2024 cohort. Click here for informational letter. Click here to view the program brochure.
The Rural Health Association of Tennessee hosts a webinar titled, "Time Out for Men's Health" on June 02, 2022 from 10am-11am CST. Our guest speaker is Mike Leventhal, Executive Director with the Men's Health Network- Tennessee.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:We'd like for you to join us for this virtual event! Register Here
April is Autism Awareness Month. The RHA of TN would like to share a pre-recorded webinar featuring Lauren Pearcy the Executive Director with the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities in a webinar titled, "Disability Resources for Healthcare Providers and Patients".
We are continually focused on caring for the well-being of individuals with developmental disabilities. Through advanced research, we will get the help they need by providing resources that will support the health and safety of all the individuals.
Thanks to the advocacy efforts of RHA of TN members and other organizations, dental coverage is now
available for pregnant and postpartum women. Starting April 1st, pregnant women on TennCare will have dental coverage.
An excerpt of the Notice of Change can be found below.
Rural Health Association of Tennessee members met with several of Tennessee’s legislators and staffs on
Wednesday, March 9th.
Topics of conversation ranged from discussing the Access to Naloxone Act, telehealth, health equity, and the importance of coordinated school health.
Rural Health Association of Tennessee members met with several of Tennessee’s federal Congressmen, Congresswomen, and
staffs on Wednesday, February 9th.
Topics of conversation ranged from discussing the 340B drug program, Rural Health Clinic Modernization Act, and the importance of programs such as the National Health Service Corp and the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (R-CORP)
The National Rural Health Association's 33rd Annual Policy Institute has moved to a virtual platform! 
Join us on February 8-10 for the NRHA's Policy Institute to learn more about policy and have a chance to advocate for the issues you care about. Prices have dropped as the event has moved to a virtual platform. This is a great opportunity if you haven't been able to make it to D.C. in the past. Join other staff and members of Rural Health Association of Tennessee to advocate for the policies that effect you! A tentative schedule can be found here.
Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) and TennCare convened the 
Tennessee Public Behavioral Health Workforce Workgroup in June 2021. Serving as convenors and facilitators of this workgroup, the agencies gathered a diverse group of stakeholders and professionals, each of whom was uniquely positioned to provide insight to this critical issue. This report represents the work of the Public Behavioral Health Workforce Workgroup and proposes short-term and long-term strategies that directly address recruitment and retention opportunities that can be implemented by local behavioral health providers, colleges and universities, and various Tennessee State Government Departments.
Pages 17 and 18 name replication of RHA's Apprenticeship program as a key strategy for promoting public behavioral health careers.
Join Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and our many members who are 
raising awareness on how to prevent and respond to overdose.
Inspired by annual community events hosted in Melbourne, Australia, International Overdose Awareness Day was brought to the global stage in 2012 as nations like the United States and Australia were beginning to understand the magnitude of the opioid crisis. Since 2012, IOAD has maintained it’s original purpose to raise awareness, reduce stigma of drug-related death and commemorate those who have been lost to drug overdose.
