Augusta Health Showcases Community-Based Approach to Strengthening Rural Health Care

State leaders visit Augusta Health during the Advancing Rural and Small Town Health Care Retreat

FISHERSVILLE, VIRGINIA — Improving rural health care means looking beyond the immediate challenges facing hospitals and health systems. It requires investing in people, programs, and partnerships that keep care accessible and help communities remain healthy over the long term. This idea was central to a recent visit to Augusta Health, where members of the Virginia General Assembly, state officials, legislative staff, and other guests gathered for the Advancing Rural and Small Town Health Care Retreat.

Augusta Health is a community-based health system serving Shenandoah Valley, including rural and small-town communities. Its approach to strengthening community health goes beyond the hospital and aims to improve the health and well-being of those communities it serves. “We are honored to welcome state leaders to Augusta Health for this important conversation about the future of rural health care,” said Mary N. Mannix, FACHE, President and CEO of Augusta Health. “As a community-based health system, we know strengthening the health of all our communities requires more than excellent clinical care. It requires understanding community needs, investing in the future, and sound health policy aimed at improving the health and well-being of all Virginians. We appreciate the leadership and commitment of those working to strengthen rural health care across the Commonwealth.”

During the visit, state leaders learned about several programs designed to meet current and future community needs. These included Augusta Health’s graduate medical education programs, its Community Clinic, Mobile Clinic, and Neighborhood Clinic models, The Farm at Augusta Health, and the nearby Augusta Regional Dental Clinic. Together, these programs show a collaborative community health strategy that builds the health care workforce, expands access to care, and addresses the wider factors that affect health and well-being.

“We have a lot of challenges before us, and that is what we will be talking about the next few days,” said Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee. “The good news is, this year there’s a shared passion, it’s a bipartisan passion, it’s a rural passion, it’s an urban passion; we are all here for the same reasons: to take better care of Virginians.”

“This has been a helpful experience,” said Sen. Barbara A. Favola, D-Arlington, chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee. “We care very deeply about our rural health communities and want to ensure access does not go away for so many Virginians.”

Augusta Health is grateful for the leadership and dedication of the General Assembly, state officials, staff, and other partners who are working to improve rural health care across the Commonwealth. “This visit highlighted a bigger truth for rural communities in Virginia: no single solution exists for rural health care challenges,” said Mannix. “Real progress depends on teamwork among health systems, communities, educators, policymakers, lawmakers, and other partners, as well as a willingness to find creative solutions that fit local needs. Without that collaboration, many of the programs and services we offer are at risk.”