Tag: rural health

MHA Center of Rural Excellence Board Convenes Inaugural Meeting

Rural Health Updates, Member News

The MHA Center of Rural Excellence held its first Board of Directors meeting June 24 during the 2026 MHA Annual Membership Meeting. The board conducted organizational business focused on governance, rural health initiatives and strategic priorities.

MHA staff provided updates on governance, rural health policy, workforce development, health finance and advocacy initiatives to support the board’s strategic priorities.

Amy Barkholz, senior vice president and general counsel, MHA,  provided governance updates, including a review of the bylaws, articles of incorporation and policies related to effective board governance. Lauren LaPine-Ray, DrPH, vice president, policy & rural health, MHA, and executive director, MHA Center of Rural Excellence, provided an update on Michigan’s Rural Health Transformation Program.

The board also participated in strategic discussions on priorities affecting rural healthcare. Ken Krapohl, chief human resources officer, MHA, led a discussion on enhancing existing MHA workforce initiatives to better engage rural hospital leaders. Jason Jorkasky, senior vice president, health finance, MHA, facilitated a discussion on revenue cycle initiatives. Laura Appel, executive vice president, government relations and public policy, MHA, and Amy Barkholz led a discussion on the MHA Strategic Action Plan.

Standing reports were presented by MHA CEO Brian Peters on the American Hospital Association; Ross Ramsey, MD, CEO, Scheurer Health, on the MHA Small or Rural Hospital Council; and Wendy Frush, CEO, Munising Memorial Hospital, on the Upper Peninsula Hospital Council. The next meeting of the Center of Rural Excellence is scheduled for Nov. 5.

Members with questions may contact Lauren LaPine-Ray at the MHA Center of Rural Excellence.

Crain’s: Sturgis Hospital closure fuels fears for rural care in Michigan

Member News, MHA In The News, Rural Health Updates

Lauren LaPine-Ray, vice president, policy & rural health, MHA, and executive director, MHA Center of Rural Excellence, spoke with Crain’s Detroit Business following the June 16 closure announcement for Sturgis Hospital.

LaPine-Ray highlighted the significant financial strain facing Michigan’s rural hospitals, emphasizing the disproportionate impact of rising costs, lower patient volumes and declining Medicaid payments on these providers.

During the interview, she noted that Michigan’s two most recent hospital closures occurred before the Medicaid reductions outlined in H.R. 1 take effect, raising concerns about additional closures once the cuts are implemented.

Members with questions regarding media requests should contact Elise Gonzales at the MHA.

Bipartisan Policy Center to Host Webinar on Rural Health Transformation Program

Member News, Rural Health Updates

The Bipartisan Policy Center will host a webinar June 30 from 11 a.m. to noon EDT on how states are leveraging funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to strengthen rural healthcare delivery through technology and workforce investments.

Administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the RHTP provides $50 billion over five years to support state-led efforts to improve rural healthcare. States are using the funding for a variety of initiatives, including digital infrastructure, telehealth expansion and workforce development programs designed to improve access to care in rural communities.

Lauren LaPine-Ray, DrPH, MPH, vice president, policy & rural health, MHA, and executive director, MHA Center of Rural Excellence, will serve as a panelist. She will join rural health leaders from across the country to discuss how states are implementing RHTP initiatives and what federal policies may be needed to sustain these investments over the long term.

Additional panelists include Andy Lowe, executive director, New England Rural Health Association; and Lloyd Sirmons, executive director, Southeastern Telehealth Resource Center and Georgia Rural Health Association. The discussion will be moderated by Kevin Bennett, director, South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare, and rural health fellow with The Commonwealth Fund.

Registration for the webinar is required, and MHA rural hospital members are encouraged to attend.

Members with questions may contact Lauren LaPine-Ray at the MHA Center of Rural Excellence.

Rural Hospital Leaders Appointed to MHA Center of Rural Excellence Board of Trustees

Member News, News Releases, Rural Health Updates

Seven rural Michigan hospital leaders were recently appointed as inaugural board members to the newly established MHA Center of Rural Excellence by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Board of Trustees. These members are responsible for providing formal governance for the new organization.

Jeremiah J. Hodshire, president and chief executive officer, Hillsdale Hospital, will serve as the center’s chair and the MHA Board of Trustees representative for a three-year term.

In addition to Hodshire, the MHA Board of Trustees approved the appointment of six rural healthcare leaders to serve on the MHA Center of Rural Excellence Board:

  • Thomas Kurtz, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer, Memorial Healthcare, will serve a three-year term. Andrew Raymond, chief executive officer, Kalkaska Memorial Health Center, represents Michigan’s independent hospitals alongside Kurtz and will serve a two-year term.
  • Amanda Shelast, Marshfield Clinic Network President, Michigan and South, will serve a one-year term. Wendy Frush, RN, chief executive officer, Munising Memorial Hospital will serve a two-year term. Shelast and Frush represent the association’s rural members in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
  • Peter Marinoff, chief executive officer, Munson Healthcare Southern Region, will serve a one-year term and represent the state’s critical access hospitals.
  • Ross Ramsey, MD, chief executive officer, Scheurer Health, will serve a three-year term as the board’s physician representative.

“This board brings together rural healthcare leaders from across the state who share a commitment to preserving care close to home for Michiganders,” said MHA CEO Brian Peters. “Under their leadership, the MHA Center of Rural Excellence will prioritize policies and initiatives that allow rural hospitals to remain resilient and responsive to the needs of their communities.”

The MHA Center of Rural Excellence, a 501(c)(6) organization, was created to formalize and strengthen the collective voice of rural hospitals through support tailored to the unique challenges of Michigan’s rural providers.

Hospitals Help: Hillsdale Works to Improve Access for Rural Residents

Member News, Hospitals Help, Rural Health Updates

Rural hospitals are the heart of their communities, providing care close to home in addition to jobs, stability and reassurance that help is nearby in life’s most pivotal moments. Despite their essential role, rural providers across the state and country are challenged by limited resources, workforce shortages and constrained infrastructure.

Knowing this reality first-hand, the teams at Hillsdale Hospital are focused on advocating for rural communities and ensuring patients don’t lose access to routine or specialty care.

Personalized Primary Care

To address the unique needs of local residents, Hillsdale starts by listening. The hospital’s primary care team – spread across five local clinics – does this by focusing on understanding each patient’s needs to develop individualized health plans.

“Hillsdale Hospital’s core values include local access to care for our patients,” said Jeremiah J. Hodshire, president and chief executive officer, Hillsdale Hospital. “Everyone deserves access to healthcare, when and where they need it. That’s why expanding our primary care options is so important to us.”

In understanding that it can be difficult and time-consuming for patients to get to the hospital for lab draws, Hillsdale also decided to install outpatient laboratories inside their clinics. The decision has been well-received by community members and streamlines testing protocol for providers.

Hillsdale Spine Center was announced in January 2026 to provide a full continuum of neurosurgical spine care.

Addressing Specialty Needs

Knowing there was a local need for advanced neurosurgical care, Hillsdale responded by onboarding a neurosurgeon and opening their Hillsdale Spine Center. Residents can now receive a full spectrum of care, including minimally invasive spine surgery, spine fusion, spine fracture treatments and treatment for herniated discs. The team also recently completed their first lumbar total disc replacement, an innovative treatment that isn’t widely available.

“I couldn’t imagine where I’d be at if I didn’t get the surgery,” said the patient, who previously struggled with severe back pain for more than 15 years. “[The procedure] was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Uplifting Rural Voices

Hillsdale teams are also finding meaningful ways to speak up for rural patients and providers. In a new podcast series titled, “Rural Health Fractured,” conversations center around sustainable solutions to today’s pressing rural healthcare issues.

Additionally, Hodshire will serve as board chair of the MHA Center of Rural Excellence, a 501(c)(6) organization created to formalize and strengthen the collective voice of rural hospitals through targeted advocacy and support tailored to the unique challenges Michigan’s rural providers face.

Those with questions or content ideas for the Hospitals Help series may contact Lucy Ciaramitaro at the MHA.

Michigan Health & Hospital Association Establishes MHA Center of Rural Excellence

News Releases, Rural Health Updates

The Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) today announced the establishment of the MHA Center of Rural Excellence, a 501(c)(6) organization created to formalize and strengthen the collective voice of rural hospitals through support tailored to the unique challenges of Michigan’s rural providers, including targeted advocacy efforts on their behalf.

“Rural hospitals are navigating increasing financial strain, workforce shortages and complex funding structures that were not developed with rural realities in mind,” said MHA CEO Brian Peters. “The MHA Center of Rural Excellence is designed to provide dedicated advocacy and governance to give rural hospitals the support needed to manage these challenges and continue caring for their communities.”

Michigan ranks fourth for the number of residents living in rural counties with a full or partial primary care workforce shortage and sixth for residents living in rural counties with a shortage of mental health professionals, according to the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation.

The MHA Center of Rural Excellence will elevate rural‑specific perspectives to policymakers, ensuring rural hospitals’ distinct challenges receive the attention they deserve. This approach will position rural hospital leaders at the center of state policy decisions that directly affect the communities they serve.

The MHA Center of Rural Excellence will also have a specific focus on Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding, including efforts to maximize the amount of available resources that can be dedicated to rural Michigan hospitals.

Lauren LaPine-Ray, DrPH, MPH, will serve as executive director of the MHA Center of Rural Excellence. Jeremiah J. Hodshire, president and chief executive officer, Hillsdale Hospital, will chair the member-led board.

For more information, visit the MHA Center of Rural Excellence webpage.

Hospitals Help: Kalkaska Memorial Walks Beside Patients at Discharge

Hospitals Help, Member News
Members of the Kalkaska Memorial Health Center team

Patients often feel most vulnerable during the transition from hospital to home – especially if questions linger, follow-up care is extensive or there’s any risk of complications. Knowing this, hospitals are finding ways to ensure patients don’t have to navigate discharge and recovery alone.

The Community Paramedic program at Kalkaska Memorial Health Center is a great example of this work. Based in the health center’s emergency department, the program supports patients during and after discharge in an effort to address concerns and prevent avoidable emergency department visits.

“At Kalkaska Memorial Health Center, our mission is to improve the health and quality of life for those that we serve,” said Jeremy Cannon, VP, chief nursing officer, Kalkasa Memorial Health Center. “To truly make an impact, we look beyond the four walls of our hospital and focus on understanding patient needs in their own environment.”

According to the National Library of Medicine, readmission within 30 days of hospital discharge has been linked to both short and long-term mortality. Proper care coordination before, during and after a hospital stay is critical for improving patient outcomes.

The program at Kalkaska engages providers across acute care, long-term care and primary care to identify patient’s risk for hospital re-admission. Team members often address discharge questions, concerns or confusion – whether it be difficulties managing acute or chronic conditions, missing resources at home, medication adjustments or new care needs.

Paramedics are available seven days a week to meet patients before discharge or contact them to schedule home visits within 24 hours. In the home, they identify barriers that may not have been apparent during the hospital stay and coordinate with primary providers, social work, pharmacy and the electronic medical record team to support comprehensive care.

“We are fortunate to have a hospital-owned emergency medical services agency operating through Kalkaska Memorial Health Center, allowing us to invest directly in the individuals who respond to our community members during their most vulnerable moments,” said Cannon.

Patients enrolled in the program have demonstrated significantly lower emergency department readmission rates. The work allows the teams at Kalkaska to better support patients and keep them where they want to be: home.

Those with questions or content ideas for the Hospitals Help series may contact Lucy Ciaramitaro at the MHA.

MHA Monday Report Feb. 9, 2026

Member News, Monday Report

IMLC Legislation Clears House, Continuing Education and Credentialing Bills Advance

The Michigan House of Representatives voted in support of House Bill 5455, sponsored by Rep. Rylee Linting (R-Grosse Ile Township), which would restore Michigan to the IMLC. The compact supports access to care, particularly in rural …

Former U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow Addresses MHA Board

The MHA Board of Trustees’ Feb. 4 meeting featured a discussion with former U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, who is now a senior policy advisor with DC-based Liberty Partners Group, a bipartisan strategic consulting firm. Stabenow …

MHA Releases FAQ on Rural Health Transformation Program Funding

The MHA recently released a new frequently asked questions (FAQ) document to help members better understand allowable uses, limitations and compliance requirements related to Michigan’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). The FAQ clarifies that RHTP …

CMS Releases 2025 Occupational Mix Survey for Hospitals

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the 2025 occupational mix survey to collect data from hospitals paid under the Medicare inpatient prospective payment system. Survey results will be used to adjust …

 

MHA Reinforces Evidence-Based Vaccination Guidelines

The MHA is strengthening its commitment to evidence-based immunization practices under the guidance of the MHA Healthcare and Public Health Integration Council and chief medical and nursing leaders. Efforts include distributing educational resources, reaffirming alignment …

Initiative Seeks to Expand Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services in Michigan

Providers who serve pregnant people, infants and families are encouraged to complete a brief survey to help build Michigan’s first statewide Perinatal and Infant Early Childhood Mental Health (PIECMH) Provider Directory. The initiative is led …

HHS Announces $100M Investment in Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a $100 million investment to expand substance use disorder treatment, mental health services and housing-related supports under the administration’s Great American Recovery initiative. …

 

MDHHS Withdraws PIHP Procurement

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has withdrawn its request for proposals (RFP) to competitively procure Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans (PIHPs), ending the planned rebid process. The decision follows a Jan. 8 …

Hospitals Help: Youth Safety Event Teaches UP Students Emergency Preparedness

Camp 911 is a hands-on, youth-focused safety event supported by Marshfield Medical Center-Dickinson hospital that is designed to teach school-aged children essential emergency response skills. The camp brings together professionals from various fields to demonstrate …

News to Know

  • MHA Endorsed Business Partner Wakely is hosting the webinar Summary and Impacts of the 2027 Medicare Advantage Advance Notice Feb. 12 from 1 – 2 p.m. ET.
  • The 2026 MHA Human Resources Conference, scheduled for March 24 at the Crowne Plaza Lansing, will convene human resources leaders and professionals who are shaping the future of the healthcare workforce.
  • MHA Endorsed Business Partner CyberForce |Q is hosting an in-person Coffee & Collab for Cybersecurity Leaders Feb. 10 from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. ET at CyberForce|Q headquarters in Plymouth, MI.

MHA in the News

The Mining Journal published a statement from the MHA chief medical officer following the distribution of guidance to

Michigan families departing from established standards. Dr. Roth emphasizes the efficacy of vaccines and urges families to seek medical guidance from their providers. “Vaccines remain …

MHA Releases FAQ on Rural Health Transformation Program Funding

Rural Health Updates, Member News

The MHA recently released a new frequently asked questions (FAQ) document to help members better understand allowable uses, limitations and compliance requirements related to Michigan’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).

The FAQ clarifies that RHTP funding is temporary and intended to support specific care transformation activities. Funds cannot be used to cover routine operating costs, financial losses or to replace existing funding. Repayment may be required if funds are used for purposes not approved or if required documentation and reporting are not completed.

The document also addresses common questions raised by hospitals, including the use of RHTP funds for provider payments, health information technology investments, electronic medical record upgrades and limited facility improvements. In all cases, expenses must be directly connected to transformation activities approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Additional RHTP information and resources are available on the MHA’s Rural Health Transformation Program webpage. The MHA will continue to update both the FAQ and the webpage as more guidance becomes available from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and CMS.

Members with questions may contact Lauren LaPine-Ray at the MHA.

Hospitals Help: Munson Healthcare, Community Partners Offer Free Family Support Program

Hospitals Help, Member News
Marina, a Healthy Futures participant, with her family and newborn son.

Healthy Futures is a free family support program that helps answer questions and assists families in finding services and resources in the community. The program, which has no eligibility requirements, is a collaboration between Munson Healthcare, local health departments and healthcare providers across 31 counties in the northern Michigan region.

The main goals of the program are around increasing access to care, immunization education and breastfeeding support services. The program includes newsletters and texts sent by Munson, phone calls and home visits by a public health nurse in the community.

After struggling with breastfeeding her newborn daughter, one patient enrolled in the program and accepted a home visit, which resulted in a life-saving diagnosis and treatment for postpartum preeclampsia, a condition that can be fatal if left untreated.

“Today, I’m alive, healthy, and here to enjoy my daughter, son and family because Healthy Futures stepped in at the right time,” said Marina, a Healthy Futures participant. “They helped me breastfeed, taught me how to boost my milk supply, monitored my baby’s weight, checked in on my mental health…and after almost five months, they’re still checking on me and my baby.”

To learn more about the program, visit Munson Healthcare’s website. To read more positive hospital stories, check out more Hospitals Help webpage and the 2025 Community Impact Report. Members with questions may contact Lucy Ciaramitaro at the MHA.