NIH Record - National Institutes of Health

Rural Health Seminar Focuses on Covid

Rural health seminar poster shows setting sun.
The 2020 NIH Rural Health Seminar: Challenges in the Era of Covid-19 will be held virtually on Nov. 19.

The 2020 NIH Rural Health Seminar: Challenges in the Era of Covid-19 will be held virtually on Thursday, Nov. 19 from 1 to 5 p.m. at https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=38788.

It will bring together researchers, medical practitioners and others to explore topics in rural health. Learn about and explore the impact of Covid-19 on rural populations, systems and workforce issues, and community engagement to respond to the pandemic. The seminar is coordinated by the NIH rural health interest group and co-sponsored by NIMHD and NCATS.

The seminar will provide an opportunity to engage and explore important issues of rural health. Sessions include: Rural Population Impact and Response in the Time of Covid-19 and Researchers and Community Partners Respond to the Challenges of Covid-19.

Today, approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population—about 60 million people—live in rural areas, which make up 97 percent of the land area in the United States. People living in rural America have less access to health care and are more likely than residents of urban areas to die from chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic lower respiratory disease. 

Moreover, long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put many rural residents at increased risk of getting Covid-19. The rural/urban inequities in health and health care warrant more rigorous and innovative scientific research to improve testing, contact tracing and future vaccination for rural Americans.

For details on how to register, visit https://nimhd.nih.gov/news-events/conferences-events/rural-health.html. The seminar will be archived for those unable to view it live.

The NIH Record

The NIH Record, founded in 1949, is the biweekly newsletter for employees of the National Institutes of Health.

Published 25 times each year, it comes out on payday Fridays.

Assistant Editor: Eric Bock
Eric.Bock@nih.gov (link sends e-mail)

Staff Writer: Amber Snyder
Amber.Snyder@nih.gov (link sends e-mail)