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VA » Health Care » Office of Rural Health » VETERANS RURAL HEALTH RESOURCE CENTERS

Office of Rural Health

VETERANS RURAL HEALTH RESOURCE CENTERS

ORH highlights

See the Office of Rural Health video.

The Office of Rural Health released “Thrive 2022,” Annual report.

Veterans Rural Health Resource Centers

Veterans Rural Health Resource Centers (VRHRCs) are Office of Rural Health (ORH) field-based satellite offices that serve as hubs of rural health care research, innovation, and dissemination. Congressional mandate 38 USC § 7308 defines VRHRCs’ mission to:

Improve understanding of the challenges faced by Veterans living in rural areas
Identify disparities in the availability of health care to Veterans living in rural areas
Formulate practices or programs to enhance the delivery of health care to Veterans living in rural areas
Develop special practices and products for the benefit of Veterans living in rural areas and for implementation of such practices and products in the Department system-wide

Located at host U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers in Iowa City, Iowa; Salt Lake City, Utah; White River Junction, Vermont; Gainesville, Florida; and Portland, Oregon, VRHRC functions include:

Administration and Operations: Oversee the day-to-day operation of the VRHRC, providing operations and clinical leadership as well as administrative support
Studies: Respond to requests from ORH to prepare longer-term studies of matters affecting Veterans living in rural areas of the United States
Innovations: Develop and pilot test innovations in the delivery of care and services to rural Veterans, functioning as field-based "laboratories" for clinical and non-clinical pilot projects that address well-defined needs of Veterans living in rural communities
Promising Practices Dissemination and Technical Assistance:

Disseminate ORH Rural Promising Practices through mentored implementation to targeted stakeholders, inside and outside VA, that emerge from clinical and non-clinical pilot projects
Provide technical assistance and program consultation on programs, pilots, projects and issues affecting rural Veterans to internal VA and external stakeholders

Each VRHRC has a specific rural focus:

Iowa City:

Improve care coordination for dual use Veterans, including those who use Community Care Programs
Use VA telemedicine and informatics tools to improve access to care
Develop innovative interdisciplinary treatment models to improve the quality and efficiency of care
Develop innovative mental health treatment delivery models for rural Veterans
Assess, understand, and improve equitable delivery of services to rural Veterans of historically underserved populations across Center initiatives

Salt Lake City:

Study and innovate in rural geriatric care, complex care, and chronic conditions
Leverage VA and other data sources to create tools for research and operations staff to identify needs and gaps in care for rural Veterans
Develop culturally competent models of outreach and care for rural American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans
Identify needs and develop innovative solutions to improve access for rural Veterans with mental health concerns

White River Junction:

Conduct research on health care disparities affecting rural Veterans
Pilot and evaluate mental health and other programs serving rural Veterans
Develop training on evidence-based practices for rural VA providers
Serve as a field resource for ORH program evaluation

Gainesville:

Improve independent living for rural Veterans
Strengthen rural workforce recruitment, retention, and education
Support rural policy analysis, strategic planning, rural geographic database design, and implementation in support of rural Veteran health care through geospatial solutions (Disclaimer: This link directs to an internal VA site. You must have access to the VA network to view this page)