On the third Thursday of November every year, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health leads National Rural Health Day, an annual day of recognition for those who serve the vital health needs of over 60 million people residing in America’s rural communities, estimated to be 1 in 5 Americans.  NOSORH is the member organization serving all 50 State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) with Nebraska headquartered in Omaha.

SORHs provide support to rural hospitals, clinics, and first responders in several ways including technical assistance, funding that supports workforce development, population health management, quality improvement initiatives, and more.

 In 2015, NOSORH asked SORHs to nominate hospital and emergency first responder teams, community health, and volunteer service heroes on the front lines of rural health who were making a positive impact on rural lives.  Soon after the stories started coming, the book of National Rural Health Day Community Stars was published.

Name of Community Star will appear in the 2017 edition that will be available on the http://www.PowerofRural website, the official hub for National Rural Health Day and the Power of Rural movement beginning November 16, 2017.

“We are truly honored to be selected as a Rural Star.  Our Team is proud to meet many of the unique needs of health care in the home in rural Nebraska,” Diana Lecher, Director of Home Health said.

Located in the northwest corner of Nebraska, Chadron Community Hospital & Health Services is a 25 bed critical access hospital built in 2010.  CCH&HS has over 280 employees and has the unique opportunity to serve patients from rural areas in Nebraska, eastern Wyoming, southern South Dakota, and the Pine Ridge Native American reservation.  The Health Services offered to the community through the hospital are rural clinics, a retired and assisted living facility, a dental clinic, a family planning clinic and a soup kitchen.  The hospital also brings in specialty clinics in Audiology, Plastic Surgery, ENT, Cardiology, Dermatology, Internal Medicine, Oncology, Orthopedics, Bariatrics, Neurosurgery, Nephrology, Urology, and Obstetrics/Gynecology.