UA’s Rural Health Institute Seeks Nominees for Heroes Awards

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Institute for Rural Health Research is seeking nominations for the Rural Health Heroes Awards. The awards will honor health-care providers and others who assisted victims of Alabama’s April 27, 2011, tornadoes.

Award winners will be honored at the 13th Annual Rural Health Conference Friday, April 20, at UA’s Ferguson Center. UA’s Institute for Rural Health Research and College of Community Health Sciences/School of Medicine, Tuscaloosa Campus will host the conference.

Nominations for the Rural Health Heroes Awards are accepted in the following six categories: Rural EMS Responders; Rural Primary Health Care Providers; Rural Community Members; College of Community Health Sciences Alumni; College of Community Health Sciences Graduate and Medical Students/Residents; and College of Community Health Sciences Faculty and Staff.

The 13th Annual Rural Health Conference, “Rural Rebound: Emergency Preparedness and Crisis Response,” will feature James Spann, chief meteorologist for ABC 33/40 Birmingham, as a keynote speaker. Breakout session topics include emergency preparedness and response in special populations, mental health and research.

The conference will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The conference registration fee is $100 a person ($25 for students) and includes breakfast and lunch. Continuing Medical Education and Continuing Education Units will be offered.

The annual Rural Health Conferences bring together health-care providers, community leaders, researchers, government officials and policymakers to hear from prominent speakers in the field and to share information and knowledge about rural health issues.

For more information about the Rural Health Heroes Awards or to nominate an individual, contact Barbara Wright at bwright@cchs.ua.edu or 205/348-0025. For more information about the conference, visit the Rural Health Conference website at http://rhc.ua.edu or phone 205/348-0025.

Established in 2001, the Institute for Rural Health Research works to bring the highest attainable standard of health to rural communities. The Institute pursues this mission through the combined strength of community involvement, scientific knowledge and informed public policy. The Institute’s research efforts are focused on health issues that impact people who live in rural areas.

The goal is to produce research that is useful to communities, health-care providers and policymakers as they work to improve the availability, accessibility and quality of health care in rural areas. The Institute also serves as a resource for community organizations, researchers and individuals working to improve the health of rural communities.