News

The Montana Rural Health Initiative – A New Venture for MSU Extension Service

Health matters. Health matters to inviduals. Health matters to communities. Health matters to institutions. And health care is expensive. Health care costs are the number one cause of family debt and bankruptcy for Montana residents as well as for all Americans. Health matters also to local, county, and state governments, not to mention the federal government. Issues of rising health care costs, access to health care and increasing health disparities have surfaced as top priorities locally and nationally. The National Association of Counties (NACo) recognizes that county governments have multiple responsibilities for health care and thus play an essential role in policy making that impacts the health care delivery system. In most states, county governments are ultimately responsible for health care of the poor, uninsured, unemployed, incarcerated and indigent, regardless of their ability to pay. This increasing cost burden of uncompensated care is depleting many county budgets.

Health matters to the MSU Extension Service. The Extension Service is dedicated to improving the quality of people’s lives and strengthening the social, economic and environmental well-being of families and communities.

By David Young, PhD
Rural Health Resource Specialist
Extension Service, Montana State University

Full Report: http://www.matr.net/files/TheRuralHealthInitiative.pdf

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.