McEachin, Merkley introduce bill to boost rural healthcare services

Congressman A. Donald McEachin (D-VA-04) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the bicameral Rural Health Equity Act to establish an Office of Rural Health within the CDC.

“Millions of Americans living in rural areas throughout the country face challenges in accessing health care services and unique threats to their health and well-being,” McEachin said. “Geographic constraints, higher safety and environmental risks, and a lack of inclusive and culturally-competent services can lead to serious disparities in public health outcomes for rural Americans. Unfortunately, these issues have been further exacerbated by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. That is why I am proud to introduce the Rural Health Equity Act, alongside Senator Merkley, to address long-standing inequities in our nation’s health care system. This bicameral legislation is an important, commonsense policy solution to protect the interests of rural residents, both in the Commonwealth and throughout the nation, and promote better health outcomes for all.”

“I hold a town hall in each of Oregon’s counties each year, and in so many of our counties I hear time and again about the unique challenges of providing and accessing health care in a rural community,” said Sen. Merkley. “Folks living in rural communities deserve national policy makers’ attention to the problems they face. It’s time to move beyond the one-size-fits-all approach to tackling our national health challenges and ensure that we are making progress on improving health disparities faced specifically by rural Americans.”

The CDC Office of Rural Health would be tasked with:

• Identifying and improving health disparities and challenges faced by rural communities;
• Serving as the primary point of contact within the CDC on matters pertaining to rural health, and coordinating within the agency to develop and promulgate policies and programs to improve health care and services for rural populations;
• Conducting, coordinating, promoting, and disseminating research regarding public health issues impacting rural populations, including rural minority and LGBTQ+ populations; and
• Administering grants and contracts to provide technical assistance to support activities related to improving health and health care in rural areas.

Read the Rural Health Equity Act bill text and one-pager.