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Several community stakeholders attended Atmore Community Hospital’s Community Connect Event Nov. 7 at Mayson Auditorium.

The event was lead by representatives from the National Rural Health Resource Center (NRHRC). The NRHRC is based in Minnesota, and is a non-profit organization dedicated to improve healthcare in rural communities.

During the more than two-hour workshop, community members provided information in small groups relating to healthcare in the community, and talked about the needs of the community.

ACH Interim Administrator Wes Nall spoke on the challenges healthcare in rural communities.

“The biggest is financial sustainability,” Nall said. “Staffing shortages, and reimbursement are two others.

“We’re all in this together,” he said.

Nall added that the hospital working on every grant opportunity that’s available. He added that the hospital is recruiting specialists, and looking at ways to use telehealth.

“What can the community do to help? Utilization,” he said. “Something is causing our patients to go somewhere else. That’s what we’re here to find out.”
In the small group conversation portion, members of the community were split into three groups. All were asked the same questions on the identity of the Atmore community, positives and negatives regarding health in the community, ways to collaborate with other entities and how to involve more of the community, to name a few.

NRHRC Program Specialist Precious Fritz asked the group of around 30 some things that stood out to them during the workshop.

Community members noted the number of people who attended; that everyone wants the same thing; and thanked ACH for bringing the community together.

Earlier in the workshop, Community Champion Leah Williams spoke about the history of the hospital, and the areas it serves.

Additionally, ACH has partnered with the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) program.

According to Advance archives, ACH was selected in April to participate in the DRCHSD program.

The Health Resources Services Administration’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), Delta Regional Authority (DRA) and the National Rural Health Resource Center made the announcement.

According to a release, through the DRCHSD program, the DRA and FORHP partnered to support rural communities with an opportunity to receive intensive technical assistance (TA).

The TA consists of various assessments, onsite consultations, workshops and educational trainings, which will be provided through a multi-year phased-in approach.

The program is designed to increase the efficiency of the local health care delivery system practices by focusing on care coordination, social services integration, emergency medical services access and workforce recruitment and retention with the goal to:

• Improve financial position and increase operational efficiencies
• Implement quality improvements that support an evidenced-based culture for improved health outcomes
• Address workforce recruitment and retention needs
• Increase use of telemedicine to fill service gaps and access to care
• Ensure access to and availability of Emergency Medical Services
• Integrate social services to address socio-economic challenges
• Enhance coordination of care and develop a community care coordination plan
• Strengthen the local health care delivery system to position for population health