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“Economic Development is Population Health”: A New Vision for Rural Health Leadership

Written by Ruth Thomas-Squance on May 2, 2024

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The Rural Health Information (RHI) Hub is a ‘first stop for rural health information’ site, funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, it operates as a national clearinghouse on rural health issues. The site showcases a host of reliable tools and resources aimed at advancing health in rural communities.

RHI Hub recently interviewed Build Healthy Places Network’s Co-Executive Director Ruth Thomas-Squance as part of the article ‘Economic Development is Population Health: A New Vision for Rural Health Leadership.’

“We are now realizing that access to individual clinical care is not enough to create thriving communities,” said Ruth Thomas-Squance, Co-Executive Director of Build Healthy Places Network (BHPN). “We have to think about everything in a person's environment, and economic stability — and everything that goes with that — is a major factor.”

Follow the link to read the whole article on how rural hospitals can invest in community initiatives and leverage their social capital to improve the health and wellbeing of rural communities.

You can read more about BHPN’s Rural Playbook for New Rural Healthcare Partnership Models of Investment for core strategies used by rural healthcare entities as examples for future multi-sector partnerships to follow.

About the Author

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Ruth Thomas-Squance

Ruth Thomas-Squance is the Co-executive Director at Build Healthy Places Network