NARHC: An Overview of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics
The National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the nation’s rural health clinics (RHCs). RHCs are a vital part of rural healthcare delivery in the United States, providing primary care services to medically underserved populations in rural areas. While RHCs are an important provider of healthcare services, they face significant challenges in the form of limited resources, geographic isolation, and lack of access to specialty services. To help address these issues, NARHC supports RHCs through advocacy, education, and technical assistance. This article provides an overview of the organization and its mission.
NARHC was established in 1982 with the goal of improving the quality of healthcare for rural Americans. Since then, the organization has grown to include over 500 member clinics in 35 states. NARHC’s members are primarily federal and state-funded RHCs, but the organization also includes other providers of rural healthcare, such as Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Tribal Health Centers, and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). NARHC works to improve the quality of healthcare delivered in rural areas by providing technical assistance to its members in areas such as billing and coding, information technology, and practice management. The organization also advocates for better access to healthcare in rural areas, and works to ensure that RHCs have the resources they need to provide quality care.
NARHC’s education and training programs are designed to help RHCs stay current with changes in healthcare regulations and industry standards. The organization also offers webinars and in-person conferences to provide members with information and resources on a variety of topics related to RHCs. Additionally, NARHC provides a host of online tools and resources for members, ranging from coding and billing guidance to regulatory updates.
In addition to its advocacy and education efforts, NARHC also works to promote and encourage interprofessional collaboration. Through its Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP) program, the organization works to foster relationships between RHCs and other healthcare providers in an effort to improve quality of care and patient outcomes. This effort has been particularly successful in rural areas, where collaboration between providers is often more difficult due to geographic isolation.
Overall, NARHC is a vital organization that enables rural health clinics to provide quality healthcare to medically underserved populations. Through its advocacy, education, and technical assistance programs, NARHC works to ensure that RHCs have the resources they need to provide quality care and to promote interprofessional collaboration in healthcare delivery.
References
Allender, J. A., Solano, P. P., & Rector, C. S. (2016). Community/public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.
National Association of Rural Health Clinics. (n.d.). About NARHC. Retrieved from https://www.narhc.org/about-narhc/
National Association of Rural Health Clinics. (n.d.). Resources. Retrieved from https://www.narhc.org/resources/
National Association of Rural Health Clinics. (n.d.). Interprofessional Collaborative Practice. Retrieved from https://www.narhc.org/interprofessional-collaborative-practice/