Advocate for Community-Based Training This National Rural Health Day

Every year, on the third Thursday of November, National Rural Health Day reminds us of the urgent need to address the unique challenges rural communities face in accessing quality healthcare. This day is also an opportunity to reaffirm the osteopathic profession’s historic and ongoing commitment to advancing rural health equity.

Rural health is woven into the fabric of osteopathic medicine. Our first school opened its doors in Kirksville, Missouri, a small rural town, more than a century ago. Today, this legacy drives our commitment to ensuring accessible healthcare for underserved patients across the nation. While we have grown significantly—osteopathic medical students now represent 25 percent of all future physicians—we have never lost sight of our rural roots or our mission to serve communities in need.

Osteopathic Colleges Lead the Way in Rural Health

Osteopathic medical schools continue to prioritize rural health in meaningful ways:

• Fifty-six percent of osteopathic medical schools are intentionally located in federally designated health professional shortage areas.
• Sixty-four percent of these schools ensure students gain essential rural healthcare experiences by requiring clinical rotations in rural and underserved communities.
• Eighty-eight percent publicly prioritize rural health in their mission statements, reflecting our strong commitment to improving healthcare access.
  

Why Training in Rural Areas Matters

Research shows that medical students are nearly three times more likely to stay and practice in underserved areas if they train there. However, despite this critical connection, most clinical training (80 percent) currently occurs in academic hospitals located in large, urban areas.

Community-based healthcare facilities like Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)—which serve more than 31 million patients across more than 14,000 locations—play a vital role in providing care to underserved populations. Expanding clinical training opportunities in these settings will significantly enhance healthcare access in rural America.

The Community TEAMS Act: A Transformative Solution

The bipartisan Community Training, Education, and Access for Medical Students (TEAMS) Act (H.R. 7258 & S. 3968) offers a critical solution to this challenge. This legislation would create a new federal grant program for osteopathic and allopathic medical schools to partner with FQHCs, RHCs and other healthcare facilities in medically underserved communities. By funding additional clinical rotations in rural and underserved areas, the Community TEAMS Act will help ensure that future physicians are well-prepared to serve where they are needed most.

Join Us in Supporting Rural Healthcare

This National Rural Health Day, let us honor our osteopathic roots by taking action. I urge you to contact your Members of Congress and ask them to support the Community TEAMS Act. By expanding community-based training, we can increase the number of physicians practicing in rural areas and ensure better healthcare for rural patient populations.

Together, we can uphold our proud osteopathic tradition of serving rural America and build a healthier future for all.

Robert A. Cain, DO
AACOM President and CEO