Rural Health and Economic Development Forum Overview

There is a documented linkage between rural economic development and availability of quality rural health services to attract, sustain, and retain a healthy productive rural business workforce. There a number of public, quasi-public and private entities in Wisconsin whose key responsibilities deal with one or more elements of rural health development and/or economic development, and who make both unique and complementary contributions to both sectors. Some of these entities have well-designed, effective linkages with collaborative entities within or between the sectors. Others may be just arriving at an awareness of the value of this kind of collaboration. As a result, there are missed opportunities, unattended needs and inadvertent consequences that a representative and collaborative body could help identify and address.

The Rural Health and Economic Development Forum, which grew out the Rural Health Development Council in 2007, is an opportunity for these organizations to share information on their work in economic development and rural health. As it develops, the Forum will go beyond this stage and develop policy recommendations that reflect members’ shared goals and help to achieve its mission: To optimize the health of rural citizens and the economic wellbeing of rural communities by identifying, enabling and advocating actions which add value to both.