Michigan Center for Rural Health

09/02/2026

🏡 Supporting Strong Recovery Housing Across Northern Michigan

Northern Michigan Opioid Response Consortium, a program of MCRH, is here to help recovery home operators with technical assistance, training, and resources to build safe, high-quality recovery residences.

📅 Join us for the NMORC Recovery Housing Forum on September 22 | 4:00–7:00 p.m. Connect with recovery housing professionals, learn best practices, and collaborate to strengthen recovery support in our communities.

Learn more & register: https://mcrh.msu.edu/news-and-events/events/2026/09/recovery-housing-forum

Together, we're building pathways to lasting recovery and

09/01/2026

Speaker Spotlight: Hear from Barbara Opperwall, NP of Palliative Consulting, as she shares practical strategies for navigating difficult conversations in serious illness, palliative care, and end-of-life care. With decades of experience in clinical practice, teaching, and palliative care program development, Barb brings deep insight and compassion to this important topic.

To register and learn more about the 2026 Palliative Care Summit, visit: https://mcrh.msu.edu/news-and-events/events/2026/09/pc-summit

08/31/2026

Every August 31, International Overdose Awareness Day brings a global community together as overdose continues to affect every community.

This is a global awareness campaign that started in 2001 – 25 years ago. For 25 years, International Overdose Awareness Day has brought people together to remember those we’ve lost and to take action to save lives. The truth is, we shouldn’t still need this day. But we do.

Overdose continues to affect every community. Yet it can be prevented - we know how to reduce risk and keep people safe. By speaking openly, learning from one another, and treating each other with care and respect, we build a world where fewer lives are lost. Because while this day is still needed, it doesn’t have to be forever.

08/31/2026

Michigan Center for Rural Health “2026 Critical Access Hospital Conference” Exhibitor and Sponsor Registration is OPEN and filling up quickly!

The theme for the 2026 Conference is “Navigating the Next Era of Rural Health.” You can set the course to connect with attendees by becoming an exhibitor or sponsor at this important annual event.

📅 November 12-13, 2026
📍 Park Place Hotel, Traverse City, MI

This is a great opportunity to:
✅ Directly connect with rural healthcare decision-makers
✅ Showcase specialized medical or financial services
✅ Build business partnerships with a hard-to-reach market

🔗 Check out the prospectus and secure your exhibitor space now under the Exhibiting tab: https://mcrh.msu.edu/news-and-events/cah-conference-info

08/28/2026

Rural Health Clinics across Michigan are strengthening screening and patient support for chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Now in its third cohort, the CKD Learning Collaborative brings RHC teams together to identify opportunities to improve CKD detection and care. As part of this work, MCRH team members Jill Oesterle and Aleah Huse joined National Kidney Foundation of Michigan staff for in-person visits with each of the four participating clinics.

Building on monthly virtual meetings, these visits gave teams dedicated time to discuss clinic-specific strategies, work through barriers, and connect with resources and education to support their efforts.

Thank you to Port Hope Clinic, MyMichigan Family Medicine Clare, Dr. Charles Barker Jr. Office, and White Pine Family Medicine for hosting us and for the work you do every day to care for your communities.

Want a glimpse into the resources supporting this work? Explore the CKD Toolkit for Rural Michigan Healthcare Teams:
https://mcrh.msu.edu/programs/primary-care/quality-improvement/nkfm-toolkit

08/27/2026

Connect with Michigan’s Critical Access Hospitals in Traverse City this November! Michigan Center for Rural Health’s “2026 Critical Access Hospital Conference” Exhibitor and Sponsor Registration is filling up quickly – don’t miss this opportunity!

Each year the leadership teams from Michigan’s Critical Access Hospitals meet to discuss strategies and hear about innovations in rural healthcare management. Your organization can make the connection by becoming an exhibitor or sponsor at this important annual event.

📅 November 12-13, 2026
📍 Park Place Hotel, Traverse City, MI

This is a great opportunity to:
✅ Directly connect with rural healthcare decision-makers
✅ Showcase specialized medical or financial services
✅ Build business partnerships with a hard-to-reach market

🔗 Check out the prospectus and secure your exhibitor space now under the Exhibiting tab: https://mcrh.msu.edu/news-and-events/cah-conference-info

08/26/2026

Michigan Center for Rural Health hosted a “Best Practices” site visit for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) team.

The Behavioral Health Grant project managers are Gabriella Cruz, Public Health Analyst at HRSA and Ivory Tubbs, Technical Expert Lead. The team traveled to northern Lower Michigan and met with Joyce Fetrow, Northern Michigan Opioid Response Consortium (NMORC) Director as well as both Genevieve Groover ands Jeanne Marriott, NMORC Project Associate. On Monday, August 17, the group visited the MyMichigan Health - Midland campus to see their Behavioral Health telehub and meet with staff. The following day, the group met with the Munson Healthcare Behavioral Health team in Traverse City to discuss the program Munson has built out across their hospital and clinic campuses.

To learn more about the NMORC team activities and opportunities to engage with this team, please visit: https://mcrh.msu.edu/programs/nmorc

08/26/2026

Speaker Spotlight: Join us for a conversation with Amy Bailey, LMSW, Advance Care Planning Specialist and Ethics Coordinator at MyMichigan Health, as she shares insights on advance care planning documents, Michigan law, and strategies to increase meaningful conversations and document completion. Amy’s work centers on patient self-determination and supporting providers, teams, and community partners in advance care planning.

To register and learn more about the 2026 Palliative Care Summit, visit: https://mcrh.msu.edu/news-and-events/events/2026/09/pc-summit

08/26/2026

August is National Eye Exam Month!

For the 33%+ of adults with diabetes who develop Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), early detection is everything. As primary care providers, integrating diabetic eye screen workflows directly into routine care ensures no patient slips through the cracks—especially in rural communities where specialist access is limited.

MCRH has developed a Practical Guide for Rural Health Clinics DR Toolkit to help your clinic easily incorporate screening protocols, patient education, and referral pathways into daily practice.

🔗 Access the toolkit here: https://mcrh.msu.edu/resources/diabetic-retinopathy

08/25/2026

The Michigan Health Council published their 2026 Healthcare Workforce Index! This index highlights something many of us already know – our rural communities are in need of passionate and dedicated individuals in every healthcare occupation.

Learn more about recruitment and retention efforts and how to be a part of the solution in rural Michigan at https://mcrh.msu.edu/programs/workforce

Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index (MHWI) is a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive index that assesses the “health” of 36 healthcare occupations in Michigan. Combining data from Lightcast, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educat...