Building the Rural Voice
CSRHA Membership and How You Can Help

Since 1997, the California State Rural Health Association (CSRHA) has worked hard to be build the rural voice, fulfilling a unique role in bringing diverse rural stakeholders together to promote stronger, healthier rural communities at the state and national levels. The driving force behind the CSRHA’s work is the belief that high quality healthcare should be available regardless of where you live.

The interests of rural people must not be lost or dismissed because of distance,
geographic isolation, and lack of concentrated resources.

With over 300 members that support CSRHA’s mission to preserve and enhance health in rural California, we have made tremendous strides in communicating the value of “rural” to state and national policy makers. Some of our recent accomplishments include:

• Successfully advocating to amend federal administrative policy regarding RUCA definition of rural for California’s communities.
  
  
• Convening yearly legislative roundtable sessions during the CSRHA conference, allowing rural participants direct contact with legislators and government officials.
  
  
• Publishing and disseminating The Rural Kaleidoscope: A Guide on Promising Practices to Diversify California’s Rural Healthcare Workforce.
  
  
• Promoting Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2006 by providing CSRHA members with a broad list of mental health resources for improving care, including: model to recruit culturally competent mental health professionals, fact sheets, maps, guides, articles & policy briefs, and web site links with valuable rural mental health data.
  
  
• Coordinating three Capitol briefings with California Legislative Rural Caucus on issues of: adequacy of Medi-Cal reimbursement for rural providers; the Critical Access Hospital Program, and; expanding broadband and e-health applications in rural California.
  
  
• Publishing an issue brief promoting the rural healthcare industry as a partner for improving healthcare delivery to state inmates.
  
  
• Publishing a policy brief on the importance of broadband and e-health applications to rural California, titled: A Call to Action: Bringing Broadband and eHealth to Rural California.

This year, CSRHA continues to promote an active rural constituency with a stronger voice within the state through issue research, policy education, leadership development, and supporting policy-related dialogue in rural communities. Of particular emphasis are issues of rural workforce development and quality improvement through expanded access to broadband telecommunication and e-health applications.

CSRHA’s success is only made possible through the support of our members – people like you, who understand health challenges rural people face, and promote solutions that will make a difference in the lives of people who live and work in rural areas.

"It is the responsibility of all of us who make our homes in rural California to be active in the promotion and success of our rural health systems,” states Kathy Yarbrough, Chair, CSRHA Membership Taskforce. “The California State Rural Health Association was founded on the premise of grassroots involvement and to ensure this level of activism we need to encourage individuals to become members and be involved in the issues facing our fragile communities."

CSRHA members are the lifeblood of the organization
Our members are diverse individuals and organizations throughout California, and represent a strong network of active rural leaders throughout the state, including rural healthcare providers, public health agencies, state and local elected officials, community and economic development leaders, education and research institutions, healthcare workforce leaders and others. They are committed to working with CSRHA to alter the direction of policies that leave rural communities behind.

IT’S EASY TO JOIN!
Please become a member today. Your membership will have far-reaching benefits for CSRHA and everyone dedicated to making a positive difference in the health of rural Californians. To become a CSRHA member, or upgrade your current individual membership to reflect your entire organization, click here.

If you have any questions about CSRHA membership, contact Desiree Rose, Development Manager at drose@csrha.org or (916) 453-0780 ext. 223.

3720 Folsom Boulevard, Suite B Sacramento, CA 95816 :: T 916.453-0780 :: F 916.453-0783
E-mail csrha@csrha.org