ADVOCACY ALERT
CONTACT YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TODAY!
Effective at 5pm January 28, the White House Administration enacted a pause on all federal grants and other programs.
For the Virginia Rural Health Association, this means an uncertain future for:
- Programs for prevention, treatment, and recovery for Substance Use Disorders
- Programs to increase the healthcare workforce capacity
- Programs to support the financial health of rural hospitals and Rural Health Clinics
- Programs to support access to physical activity, nutrition, and maternal and infant health
- Programs to address the syndemic of opioids/HIV/HCV
While the Office of Management and Budget has stated that the pause is temporary, it will likely take an extended length of time to review nearly $3 trillion in federal programs affected by the pause.
Addressing rural health needs can’t wait. Please contact your member of Congress and remind them that Congress approved these investments, and they are not optional; they are the law.
Contact the staff for Senator Kaine, Senator Warner, and your Congressional Representative and demand that the Administration reverse course immediately.
Not sure who your Congressional Representative is? Look it up here. See the National Rural Health Association statement on this issue here.
Federal Funding Pause – VRHA Press Release.
National Rural Health Association Priority Areas
Advocacy Resources: Coordinated grassroots efforts by NRHA members and other rural health advocates are critical to ensuring rural and underserved populations have access to health care. The documents listed below are resources to articulate specific policy asks on the rural health issues you care most about. Use these materials as resources when talking to your state and federal leaders.
Advocacy Campaigns: Links to current NRHA Advocacy campaigns.
Not sure who your Congressional Representative is? Look it up here.
ADVOCACY ALERT
CONTACT YOUR DELEGATE TODAY!
Secretariat of Rural Affairs: JLARC to study need for and feasibility of creating position
Virginia Senator Lashrecse Aird introduced SJ262 which would direct the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the need for and feasibility of creating a Secretariat of Rural Affairs in the Commonwealth. On January 24th, the bill passed the Senate Rules committee and will be moving forward.
The proposal is also included in the recommendations of the House Select Committee on Advancing Rural and Small Town Health Care.
Why is this bill important for rural health in Virginia? In 2024, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership created a 31-page report titled “Positioning Rural Virginia for Economic Growth,” with a summary of sixteen recommendations.
The report was presented to the Virginia Rural Caucus, a group of General Assembly members which represent rural communities. Not one of those recommendations mentioned health or healthcare, despite rural hospitals and clinics being one of the top three employers in rural communities.
We cannot have decisions made about rural Virginia which do not account for the interconnection between health and economic development. Our elected officials need leaders who understand how every aspect of rural communities influences the others.
Rural communities with thriving healthcare thrive. Rural communities without healthcare suffer, not just in the health of their citizens, but the health of their economy, education, infrastructure, and more.
Contact your member of the Virginia House of Delegates,
ask them to support a JLARC study on the need for a Secretariat of Rural Affairs.
Not sure who your Delegate is? Look it up here.
Select Committee on Advancing Rural and Small Town Health Care Final Report
December 15, 2024