Making Investments In Rural Health: What Are The New And Old Challenges?

Fairly early in the day of November 9, 2016, the frenzy began. It was the day after Election Day 2016. Enormous swaths of rural Americans had helped to deliver a presidential candidate over the finish line who promoted ideas and plans that were antithetical to the sensibilities of a majority of health foundation boards and staff. So what were those funders going to do now? Who were these rural voters, and what were they saying? More immediately, what were foundations supposed to do to get past the election surprise and to start thinking about being useful to a rural America that can seem very “out-of-sight and out-of-mind” to the philanthropic world? First off, let me say straight out that there are lots of funders already doing great work in health and other areas in rural communities across the country. In June, the fifth annual convening of the Public-Private Collaborations in Rural Health meeting was held in Washington, D.C. More than forty staffers from private funders met with federal officials from several federal agencies responsible for rural programs to better align interests and learn from each other. A joint venture of Grantmakers In Health, the National Rural Health Association, and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, the meeting promotes the idea that many funders are, in fact, already rural funders, and that funders already funding in rural health can be more effective in rural communities by approaching the work with renewed commitment and intention...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: GrantWatch Health Equity 2016 election Health Philanthropy Office of Rural Health Policy Politics Source Type: blogs