STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mary Wakefield, administrator of the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), will be one of the distinguished speakers featured during a series of free daily webinars being offered November 12-16 by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH).

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The series is just one of the events planned nationwide by NOSORH, State Offices of Rural Health and other rural health advocates to celebrate National Rural Health Day on Thursday, November 15. NOSORH created National Rural Health Day to showcase rural America; increase awareness of rural health issues; and promote the efforts of NOSORH, SORHs and others in addressing those issues.

"Nearly 59.5 million Americans live in rural and frontier communities," notes NOSORH Director Teryl Eisinger. "These small towns and villages continue to be fueled by the creative energy of ordinary citizens who historically have been willing to step forward and take risks in order to provide a wealth of products, resources, and services for the rest of the nation.

"Unfortunately, these communities also face unique health care concerns: a lack of providers; accessibility issues, particularly in terms of transportation and technology; and affordability issues as the result of larger percentages of un-/underinsured citizens, to name a few. And rural hospitals and healthcare providers – frequently the economic backbone of the communities they serve – face disproportionate and rapidly declining funding levels that make it difficult to meet the needs of their residents."

NOSORH's webinar series provides a forum for participants to learn more about these pertinent rural health issues and celebrate the accomplishments of those addressing these issues.  Remaining webinars and speakers include:

• Tuesday, November 13, 1:00 p.m. EST – Cultural Awareness While Serving Rural Veterans (Buck Richardson, Minority Veterans Program Coordinator, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Jay Shore, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Colorado-Denver);
• Tuesday, November 13, 3:00 p.m. EST – Exploring Rural Health Policy Issues (Bill Finerfrock, NOSORH Legislative Liaison)
• Wednesday, November 14, 2:30 p.m. EST – HRSA Rural Health Update (Mary Wakefield, HRSA Administrator);
• Thursday, November 15, 3:00 p.m. EST – Celebrating 25 Years for HRSA's Office of Rural Health Policy and 10 Years for the Rural Assistance Center (Tom Morris, HRSA Associate Administrator; Kristine Sande, RAC Program Director)
• Friday, November 16, 2:00 p.m. EST – Looking Toward the Future of Rural Health Care (Randall Longenecker, Project Director, Rural Training Track Technical Assistance Program; Jim DeTienne, President, National Association of EMS Officials).

Visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NRHD2012 to register for any of the webinars; recordings of completed webinars (including one held on Monday, November 12) will be made available at http://celebratepowerofrural.org/?page_id=1031. Visit http://celebratepowerofrural.org to learn more about National Rural Health Day; to learn more about NOSORH, visit www.nosorh.org.

SOURCE National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health