Rural Advisory Groups

The Rural Committee

AHA fosters dialogue among rural hospital leaders and offers many opportunities to take an active role in shaping AHA policies and setting direction for the association and the field. Rural hospital leaders can participate on the Rural Health Services Committee that leads and advises AHA on policy and advocacy activities of great importance to rural hospitals and the field as a whole. View highlights of the Rural Health Services Committee Meeting from February 29 – March 1. View roster.

Role of the AHA Regional Policy Boards (RPBs)

RPBs help AHA assess and evaluate issues of concern to the field, their impact and importance, and what advocacy action AHA should take to address them. RPBs help the association develop policy positions, shape advocacy strategies and identify emerging problems. They also guide the association's operations. Input from the nine RPBs is fed directly to the AHA Board and the chairman of each RPB sits on the AHA Board. 

Rural Advocacy Alliance

Rural hospitals provide essential health care services to nearly 57 million people.  Because of their size, modest assets and financial reserves, and higher percentages of Medicare patients, small and rural hospitals disproportionately rely on government payments.

Please join us in reaching out to Congress on important legislation, learning more about key policy actions, and building public support for rural health care. See our 2024 Rural Advocacy Agenda for details. Join the AHA Rural Advocacy Alliance.