AdventHealth Gill Addresses US Senate Regarding Rural Health

AdventHealth Wauchula Pioneer Medical Centers physician assistant John Gill recently spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate, in Washington, DC, about the impact of Medicaid on rural health clinics and rural America. Gill currently serves as the president of The National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC).

The NARHC is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to improving the delivery of quality, cost-effective health care in rural underserved areas through the Rural Health Clinics Program (RHC Program). NARHC works with Congress, federal agencies, and rural health allies to promote, expand, and protect the interests of clinics in the RHC Program. Through the association, NARHC members become actively engaged in the legislative and regulatory process.

The Rural Health Clinics Program (RHC Program) was developed in response to the unmet needs of Medicare and Medicaid recipients in underserved areas of rural America. In the RHC Program, the federal government crafted a plan to encourage physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and physicians to practice together in rural areas. Today, rural health clinics are an integral part of the health care delivery systems, with over 3,000 federally certified rural health clinics providing primary care services for over 7 million people in 47 states.