CHA Releases New Playbook for Rural Health Care Emergency Response

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLO. – Dec. 1, 2020 –

Today, Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) and its partners released a new resource to assist rural health care systems nationwide develop emergency response plans for COVID-19 and beyond. This playbook, Re-imagining Leadership: A Pathway for Rural Health to Thrive in a COVID-19 World, seeks to empower rural health care leaders create tailored responses that take the unique identities of their communities into account.

Rural communities nationwide have been particularly hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the disparities facing rural health care systems are more apparent now than ever. Creating a meaningful resource to assist rural health care leaders weather these challenges requires the insight and direction of those on the frontlines within those communities. With that in mind, CHA and its partners distilled dozens of personal interviews, extensive literature review and an analysis of rural health care data into this playbook.

“There can be no scripted guide or silver bullet to address the unique challenges faced by each rural community,” said Benjamin Anderson, CHA vice president of rural health and hospitals. “That is why this playbook offers a framework that can be tailored to fit the individual strengths, challenges and identities of our rural partners here in Colorado and across the country.”

CHA was proud to partner with the Eugene S. Farley, Jr. Health Policy Center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on this playbook, which was made possible by generous funding from the ZOMA Foundation and CPSI.

About Colorado Hospital Association

Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) is the leading voice of Colorado’s hospital and health system community. Representing more than 100 member hospitals and health systems throughout the state, CHA serves as a trusted, credible and reliable resource on health issues, hospital data and trends for its members, media, policymakers and the general public. Through CHA, Colorado’s hospitals and health systems work together in their shared commitment to improve health and health care in Colorado.

# # #