The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) has announced the recipients of its 2024 Rural Health Award. This annual program honors individuals and organizations that have demonstrated a strong commitment to enhancing health in rural communities.

According to an NRHA press release, the association will present the awards at its 47th Annual Rural Health Conference, scheduled for May 7-10 in New Orleans.

"We're extremely proud of this year's winners, who have found creative ways to survive and thrive despite the challenges many rural health care providers face," said Alan Morgan, NRHA CEO, in the press release. "They have each made tremendous strides to advance rural health care, and we're confident they will continue to help improve the lives of rural Americans."

The NRHA press release further revealed that Columbia Memorial Hospital based in Astoria, Oregon was chosen as the 2024 Outstanding Rural Health Organization. The hospital earned recognition for its efforts to transform healthcare in communities along Oregon’s North Coast. These efforts include initiatives such as its cancer care collaborative, emergency department, and residency program.

Other award recipients mentioned in the NRHA press release include the Texas Panhandle Rural Nursing Education Consortium which was named Outstanding Rural Health Program. Keith Mueller, Ph.D., Gerhard Hartman Professor in Health Management and Policy at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, received the Louis Gorin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rural Health Care. Leo Blandford, director of health equity and community impact at Outer Cape Health Services in Wellfleet, Massachusetts was selected as Rural Health Practitioner of the Year. John Gale, a senior research associate at the Maine Rural Health Research Center at the University of Southern Maine received the Outstanding Researcher Award.