ORH Showcase of Excellence
CARDIO-VET brings cardiac care closer to home for rural Veterans.CARDIO-VET Network Brings Cardiac Care to Rural Veterans
July 14 2026 | Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of hospitalization among Veterans — and one of the top drivers of costly community care referrals. The Cardiology Access and Resources for Delivery of Integrated Outreach to Veterans Network (CARDIO-VET) is a VHA Office of Rural Health Enterprise-Wide Initiative (EWI) using a hub-and-spoke model to connect rural Veterans with expert cardiology care close to home. By linking high-complexity VA medical centers with smaller VA facilities and community-based outpatient clinics, CARDIO-VET reduces travel burdens, keeps care within VA, and delivers better outcomes for the rural Veterans who need it most.
Four VA medical centers recently featured CARDIO-VET and it's life-changing and life-saving impact for rural Veterans.
- A Veteran’s second chance: Lifesaving heart care
VA Saginaw Health Care - VA's CARDIO-VET Program Brings Quality Cardiac Care Closer to Home
VA Poplar Bluff Health Care - Truman VA Expands Cardiovascular Care for Rural Veterans
VA Columbia (MO) Health Care - Multiple VA Teams Work Together to Improve Health, Quality of Life for a Rural Veteran
VA Wichita Health Care
Read more about the CARDIO-VET EWI. »
Together With Veterans: Rural Suicide Prevention and Meeting Social Needs
May 8, 2026 | The heart of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Rural Health (ORH) Rural Suicide Prevention Enterprise-Wide Initiative (EWI) is Together With Veterans (TWV). TWV is a national, community-based suicide prevention program tailored to Veterans living in rural communities. TWV improves rural Veterans' access to resources, services, and health care by collaborating with rural community partners.
The Rural Suicide Prevention EWI and TWV groups are working together in rural communities to prevent Veteran suicide. Members of Together With Veterans Northwest Oregon and Together With Veterans MS Delta have found creative ways to tackle the tough challenges rural Veterans face by connecting them with support and resources.
HMAT and EMAT
Data Briefs Available
Valuable Insights from the Hospital Medicine (HMAT) and Emergency Medicine Analysis Teams (EMAT)
April 24, 2026 | ORH has collaborated with the VHA Hospital Medicine Program Office to establish the Hospital Medicine Analytics Team (HMAT) to support hospital care, and with the VHA Tele-Emergency Care program to support the Emergency Medicine Analysis Team (EMAT). HMAT and EMAT Data Briefs provide valuable insights into hospital and emergency medicine for providers delivery clinical care to Veterans and facility operations leadership.
ORH Executive Director Receives Blumenthal Award
ORH Executive Director Recognized by American College of Preventive Medicine
April 10, 2026 | Each year the American College of Preventive Medicine honors the legacy of physician and educator Daniel S. Blumenthal, MD. This year Dr. Peter Kaboli, MD, MS, ORH Executive Director, was a distinguished awardee honored for his contributions to rural health. In addition to leading ORH, Dr. Kaboli continues to care for his Veteran patients at the Iowa City VA Medical Center.
Rural Health - Navigation
- Office of Rural Health Home page:
https://www.ruralhealth.va.gov/index.asp - Enterprise-Wide Initiatives (EWI) page:
https://www.ruralhealth.va.gov/Enterprise-Wide-Initiatives-EWI.asp - Veterans Rural Health Resource Centers (VRHRC) page:
https://www.ruralhealth.va.gov/Veterans-Rural-Health-Resource-Center-VRHRC.asp
*Link will take Veterans outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites. The link will open in a new window for the content of the linked websites.
