Nevada Marks National Rural Health Day

Nevada’s rural communities will join the national observance of National Rural Health Day on Thursday, Nov. 20, recognizing both the work being done and the challenges that still shape the healthcare landscape across one of the most rural states in the country. Created in 2011 by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, the health needs of the nearly 61 million Americans living outside major metropolitan areas are recognized, including residents in Nevada’s mining towns, farming regions, and frontier counties.

Access to care has been a longstanding and pressing issue in many Nevada communities. Long drives to medical offices, limited provider availability, and strained local resources affect how residents seek and receive care. Even counties located near larger population centers, such as Lyon, Storey, and Lincoln, face difficulties with routine appointments, screenings, and specialty services. Weather, distance, and work schedules often make basic care hard to reach.

Rural and low-population communities that are at a significant distance from major city centers, known as frontier communities, share similar demographic pressures. Many have older populations, higher rates of chronic conditions, and growing behavioral-health needs. Nevada continues to rank low nationally in provider-to-patient ratios, placing added pressure on small clinics, critical-access hospitals, and EMS teams. Public health officers and medical staff frequently cover large territories with limited personnel.

One example of rural collaboration is the Central Nevada Health District (CNHD), headquartered in Fallon and serving Churchill, Mineral, Pershing, and Eureka counties. The district was formed to build a public-health structure suited to smaller populations and long distances, and to give local communities more direct control over essential health services. District Health Officer Dr. Tedd McDonald brings more than 27 years of medical experience to the role.

“I served as Churchill County Health Officer for 13 years before becoming District Health Officer,” McDonald said. In Fallon, he practiced as an optometrist for 12 years and as an obstetrician-gynecologist. He also served as chief medical officer and medical director for Banner Churchill Hospital and Banner Rural Clinics, later working as chief medical officer and Community Health Officer for a Federally Qualified Health Center in rural Oregon.

CNHD was created after its member counties developed a joint plan for environmental health, epidemiology, clinical services, and emergency planning. The Nevada State Board of Health approved the plan in December 2022, and the district began providing services in July 2023. “Its success has relied on open conversation, patience, and meeting people where they live and work,” McDonald said.

Recruiting and retaining healthcare providers remains one of the most significant challenges facing rural Nevada. A major effort underway to help address this is a Rural Training Track family medicine residency program planned in Fallon. McDonald noted that the program grew from collaboration between Renown Health, the University of Nevada School of Medicine’s Department of Rural Education, Banner Churchill Community Hospital, and Banner Rural Health Clinics. Consultants assessed the financial model and teaching capacity, and the first cohort is expected in 2026. The program is a crucial step toward building a more stable rural physician workforce.

Provider shortages and limited access extend well beyond central Nevada. Counties such as Elko, White Pine, Humboldt, Lander, Nye, and Lincoln report shortages in both primary care and mental-health services. Some communities rely heavily on telehealth, others on visiting clinicians or partnerships with larger hospitals. EMS volunteers, small local hospitals, and rural health clinics continue to serve critical avenues for emergency and routine care, but are routinely understaffed and underfunded. 

Statewide efforts to support rural health are also underway. On Nov. 3, Governor Joe Lombardo and the Nevada Health Authority submitted the state’s application for up to $200 million a year in federal funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion national initiative created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. If awarded, the funding—expected to begin in 2026—would help modernize clinics and hospitals, expand technology in remote regions, improve chronic disease management, and strengthen the rural healthcare workforce. For more, see Nevada Applies for $200 Million in Federal Rural Health Funding. 

Together, local and statewide initiatives reflect a long-term push to improve access and stability for rural residents. Reliable healthcare remains central to community wellbeing and to the future of Nevada’s small towns and frontier regions.

National Rural Health Day offers a moment to recognize the work underway and the challenges that remain. More information is available at PowerOfRural.org.