Equity, multisector collaboration and innovation for rural health: lessons from the National Rural Health Association Conference

In the US

Improving rural health is challenging and complex, and further complicated by the availability and application of different definitions of rurality. In the US, rurality is defined at the county or subcounty level depending on the research/policy question and includes the National Center for Health Statistics urban-rural classification scheme for counties, rural-urban commuting area, and rural-urban continuum codes, among other definitions. These definitions may pose challenges, as the levels of analysis and decision-making may be different and other sociodemographic data may not be available at the preferred rurality level. This was highlighted in the presentation by the CMS OMH on applying a geographic lens and matching services and support for 'individuals in rural, tribal, and geographically isolated communities', with the latter including 'frontier or remote communities, as well as the US territories and other island communities'. The speakers shared the CMS Framework for Advancing Health Care in Rural, Tribal, and Geographically Isolated Communities, which includes six priority areas including healthcare professionals, medical and communication technology, and delivery of value-based care 6 .
Several federal organizations explicitly acknowledged the need for rural-specific strategies and innovation. The Federal 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill included US$5 million (~A$7.5 million) to establish an Office of Rural Health at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 7 . Dr Diane Hall, Acting Director, and Dr Macarena Garcia, Senior Health Scientist and Epidemiologist, of the Office of Rural Health discussed the scope and responsibility of the Office to coordinate rural health efforts across CDC programs and improve rural-urban equity. The Office will build resources and tools and provide data that can be leveraged by researchers. The CDC speakers and others emphasized the importance of local and regional data to guide planning and decision-making. For instance, later in 2023 the CDC expects to release reports on the leading causes of early death, which could identify actionable targets at the individual and community levels and foster multisector collaboration for local interventions. The Rural Health Mapping Tool, supported by the CDC, provides county-level information on mortality, sociodemographic factors and access to health care, among other health determinants, to guide local interventions (https://ruralhealthmap.norc.org [https:// ruralhealthmap.norc.org]) 8 . The availability of regularly updated data will also inform progress toward the US Healthy People 2030 objectives. Availability of local data may also help with building and strengthening rural resilience, as discussed by Dr Alana Knudson, Kristine Sande and Dr Diane Hall in their session 'Emergency preparedness and response tools'. The Rural Health Mapping Tool includes information for rural healthcare providers and policymakers to prepare for emergencies, build capacity, and promote resilience in communities and health systems. The Rural Health Mapping Tool and Rural Health Information Hub provide data on county deficits and assets (eg county social vulnerability, prosperity index score), which can provide a comprehensive rural landscape while designing and implementing strategies. Dugani

Where do we go from here?
The conference was attended by more than 1000 rural health leaders with expertise in healthcare delivery, research and policy, with a clear focus on equity, collaboration and innovation. As acknowledged by several speakers, problems and interventions may be addressed locally, but solutions may be affected by regional and federal policies. In this context, multisector collaboration and advocacy become critical parts of any rural health strategy. The responsibility to advocate rests with individuals, communities and systems at all levels to highlight challenges and, importantly, to identify opportunities and build partnerships to resolve them. As outlined by John Gale and Eric Shell in their presentations on the Future of Rural Health and The Future of Rural Healthcare, rural health faces several challenges including resetting its capabilities and infrastructure after decimation by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many rural communities are threatened by rural hospital closure 15 and workforce shortage 16 , and require targeted strategies for recovery, sustenance and resilience. The conference reinforced that action to improve rural health will require multisector collaboration from philanthropy, non-governmental organizations, governmental organizations, researchers, community organizations and others to ensure that people's basic needs are met (eg housing, food), while also preparing neighborhoods (eg safe walking areas) and health systems (eg staffing) to transform rural health. In order to do this, we will require better, local data to evaluate and monitor progress toward local, regional, and federal health targets. While focusing on basic infrastructure, processes and systems that support overall health and care, it will be imperative to also focus on specific health conditions (eg mental health, the opioid crisis), which have been particularly devastating for rural communities.
Lessons from these conferences are pertinent to rural populations beyond the US. An estimated 50% of the world's population live in rural communities and, similarly to the US, experience various health disparities [17][18][19] . In 2021, a consortium of six organizations developed a global manual to define cities, towns and rural areas for international comparison 20 . This will facilitate international studies, permit comparison and allow for the identification of common themes affecting rural health. Notwithstanding the challenges for international studies, strategies to address workforce shortage, as well as inadequate funding, multisector collaboration in the US may be adapted to other countries. In turn, lessons from other countries will shape strategies and tactics in the US. This will allow for a dynamic exchange of information, knowledge and experience, which will elevate rural health globally.
Rural health and care are at an inflection point. Concerted multisector collaboration can direct attention toward problems and transformative solutions to advance health for people in rural areas. Rural health is public health, and the time to act is now. We cannot achieve health equity without advancing rural health.

Funding
SBD was supported by the US National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIH K23 MD016230). The funder had no role in study design, data analysis and interpretation, in writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The findings and conclusions do not necessarily represent the views of the funder.

Sagar B Dugani
Dugani and Hubach Page 4 Rural Remote Health. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2023 July 08.