TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama will play host to hundreds of Alabama citizens, municipal leaders and healthcare professionals during the second annual Rural Health Conference, April 26-27, at the Bryant Conference Center.
This year’s conference, titled “Alabama’s Rural Health Dilemma: Getting Focus,” will once again gather voices from rural communities, as well as health care professionals from a number of fields demonstrating an interest and stake in rural health issues. Building upon last year’s success and participation, this year’s conference will focus on some of the significant underlying difficulties and opportunities in rural health care.
According to Dr. William Curry, dean of the College of Community Health Sciences at UA, this year’s gathering will seek to expand on some of the target issues addressed in the inaugural conference.
“Last year was a highly successful conference, which most definitely proved that there is a great concern for the welfare of rural health care in our state. We expect that this year will be even more successful as we seek to take the next step, build upon that initial success, and look for new ways to effectively address the problems that have plagued Alabama and its rural communities for ages, as well as some of the things we are doing right,” said Curry.
“In our first gathering, we addressed issues including the development of stronger communities, some of the decision-making factors involved in personal health care, and the overall effectiveness of the health care system as it now stands,” Curry continued. “But this year we will look beyond those basic issues and examine the roles of health care professionals, the responsibility of local and state government, intervention and support of business organizations and education, and the role and responsibility each citizen must take to ensure better treatment and access to health care. Each person in attendance at this event will leave The University of Alabama with a better understanding of just what is required to make his or her individual community healthier and more productive.”
Claude Earl Fox, M.D., M.P.H., will serve as this year’s keynote speaker on Friday, April 27, at 9:35 a.m. Fox recently stepped down as administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he served since 1998. He will discuss the interrelationships of health access, health system reform and community development in rural areas from a national perspective. Fox received his M.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, and a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In addition to Fox, there will be numerous speakers, discussion groups and breakout sessions. Please see the attached schedules for individual sessions and times.
The second annual Rural Health Conference is sponsored at UA by the College of Community Health Sciences, Capstone College of Nursing, School of Social Work, College of Continuing Studies, and the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration.
Additional support is provided by the Alabama Power Foundation, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama, and the Alabama Area Health Education Center (AHEC).
For more information about the conference, contact Judy Hand in the College of Continuing Studies, at 205/348-0073, Linda Jackson in the College of Community Health Sciences at 205/348-1302, or Lance M. Skelly in UA Media Relations at 205/348-3782 (lskelly@ur.ua.edu).
Contact
Lance M. Skelly, UA Office of Media Relations, 205/348-3782