Healthy Rural California

09/04/2026

Join us Oct 2. Buy tickets or become a sponsor at healthyruralca.org.

Video generously produced and gifted by Metric Studios.

09/02/2026

We are so grateful to California State University, Chico for sponsoring our Harvest Moon Black Tie Benefit! As an Autumn Equinox-level sponsor, they are generously supporting HRC's mission to expand medical access, equity, and education pathways in the North State.

Through our partnership with Chico State, we are working to fuel the programs that build the next generation of Northern California physicians. This includes strengthening the university’s Pre-Medical Association through hands-on workshops, shadowing, and mentorship, and launching a new Pre-Health designation to identify and support students early on their path to medicine. Together, these efforts are laying the foundation for 3rd-year medical clerkship rotations right here in our community.

Thank you for investing in the future of rural healthcare!

Learn more and buy tickets to the 10/2 Harvest Moon Black Tie Benefit: https://healthyruralca.org/benefit

08/31/2026

Over the summer, 33 interns in HRC's Healthcare Professions Pathway Program (HPPP) spent two months shadowing medical professionals in community health centers, college clinics, and public and behavioral health departments, gaining hands-on experience and deepening their understanding of health equity in rural communities.

As a requirement for graduation, the HPPP interns applied their new skills and experience to research projects on topics within the realm of rural healthcare and presented them at a final Poster Symposium. Swipe through the images below to read a few takeaways from this year's research!

Important note: The research projects have not been peer-reviewed, thoughts expressed by interview/survey participants are based on personal experience alone, and these insights are meant to shed a bit of light on a larger, nuanced set of challenges facing rural healthcare systems.

To see the full posters and learn more about HPPP, head to https://healthyruralca.org/community-health/healthcare-professions-pathways-program-hppp/

08/25/2026

Did you know that working-age Americans living in rural areas are 43% more likely to die from natural causes than those living in cities, when 25 years ago those percentages were equal?

There are many factors contributing to this trend, but a major cause is the declining number of physicians practicing in rural areas, making it incredibly difficult for people to get care without driving many hours out of town. In the North State, this issue was compounded by the 2018 Camp Fire, which partially destroyed and led to the closing of Paradise’s only hospital. The region also lost 45 physicians, leaving tens of thousands of Californians in our region with no access to local care.

It’s also why HRC was born: to not only bring more doctors to our region through our medical residency programs, but also to cultivate opportunities for the next generation of medical professionals in our own community.

On a recent podcast episode called "Why Rural Healthcare Is Breaking: A Health Economist Explains," health economist Thomas Campanella explains a few of the challenges facing rural health care systems and what can be done to reshape the future.

🎧 Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db_niBEsTW4

08/21/2026

Thank you so much to Enloe Health for signing on as a sponsor for our fall fundraiser, the Harvest Moon Black Tie Benefit! As an Autumn Equinox-level sponsor, Enloe Health is generously supporting HRC's mission to expand health care access and medical education in the North State.

Enloe Health is also a proud partner in HRC’s Family Medicine and Psychiatry Residency Programs, training doctors right here in Chico.

Research shows that residents are more likely to practice medicine in the communities where they train, resulting in better access to physician care as well as economic and community benefit. This is one of the ways that HRC's Residency Programs are an essential strategy for addressing physician shortages in rural Northern California. Through our partnership with Enloe, we will continue to work toward our shared goal of strengthening access to care and elevating the health of our communities.

To learn more about HRC’s programs and get tickets to the Harvest Moon Black Tie Benefit on October 2, head to https://healthyruralca.org.

08/19/2026

Congratulations to the 37 interns who graduated from our summer 2026 Healthcare Professions Pathway Program! We're so proud of your passion and hard work. Thank you for shaping the future of healthcare!

08/17/2026

HRC is proud to partner with UC Davis School of Medicine, California State University, Chico, and Enloe Health to bring medical education to the North State. Together, we will continue to bring opportunities to the students in our region and build the physician workforce so all patients can see a doctor when and where they need them. Thank you to Senator Megan Dahle for meeting with us and supporting our vision!

Yesterday afternoon my team and I met with representatives from UC Davis, California State University Chico, Enloe Medical Center and Healthy Rural California to discuss UC Davis’ vision for developing a new branch medical campus in the North State – a model the university has already used to expand medical education in other under-served areas in Northern California.

The shortage of doctors – primary care and specialists, from psychiatrists to surgeons – has become a crisis in many North State communities. Doctors retire and replacements are scarce, leaving families with long waits or long drives to access vital care.

UC Davis has a long-standing commitment to serving rural communities, and I deeply appreciate that the institution is looking to expand the ways it serves rural patients. Other universities, including Simpson in Redding, are also exploring the path to opening a medical school to serve far northern California.

For me – and for patients in need – this isn’t about a rivalry or a race. Whoever does it, the need to train and recruit more rural providers is urgent. These conversations about how best to move toward that goal are critically important for the lives and well-being of all North State residents.

08/13/2026

The Harvest Moon Black Tie Benefit, HRC’s fall fundraiser, will feature a musical performance from longtime Chico musician Holly Taylor Music! Her beautiful voice brought such a wonderful vibe to the evening last year that we knew we had to have her back again.

October 2 is just around the corner, so make sure you get your tickets before they sell out! You can buy tickets and sponsorships here: https://healthyruralca.org/benefit

We can’t wait to celebrate with you all!

08/06/2026

Another great highlight from the Summer 2026 Healthcare Professions Pathways Program at HRC:

Students had the opportunity to join fourth-year medical student Meehan Chowdhury from Touro University on a Psychiatry Sub I rotation for a sonography skills workshop!

Meehan gave a demonstration on Trauma Sonography and the FAST (Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma) Exam, a rapid ultrasound used to quickly identify internal bleeding after trauma.

While this type of ultrasound is not used to examine specific organs, it is used to detect fluid (blood) in anatomical spaces.

The FAST Exam Looks For:

🩺 Free fluid in the abdomen (Hemoperitoneum)
🩺 Pericardial effusion (Hemopericardium)
🩺 Pleural effusion (Hemothorax)

08/04/2026

Medical training, of all levels, requires discipline and dedication to obtain the knowledge required to effectively serve and care for the community. When the textbook closes, how does one transition from the classroom and the clinic? The rural Simulation Center seeks to bridge this gap! Simulation education builds skills such as teamwork, judgment, and recall. Skills that go beyond the textbook to build better providers.

On July 15, our HPPP interns got to visit the Rural Simulation Center in Chico to experience medical simulation training firsthand. They learned how healthcare professionals use realistic scenarios to strengthen clinical skills, critical thinking, teamwork, and communication while building confidence in responding to real-world situations.

Learn more about HRC's Healthcare Professions Pathway Program here: https://healthyruralca.org/community-health/healthcare-professions-pathways-program-hppp/