National Rural Health Day

Community Stars

In celebration of National Rural Health Day, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) proudly unveils the 2023 Community Stars! This annual Recognition Program honors remarkable individuals and organizations going above and beyond for rural health. They exemplify the true spirit of collaboration, turning challenges into opportunities, ensuring access to quality care, and fostering a sense of unity and support within our rural communities.

2024 Community Star

Joseph Marchant
President/CEO, Bibb Medical Center
Centreville, Alabama

Organization/project websites:

• Bibb Medical Center

As the President and CEO of Bibb County Health Care Authority, a not-for-profit community hospital based in Centreville, Alabama, Joseph Marchant dedicates his time to providing outstanding healthcare to Bibb County residents while advocating for equitable healthcare access across Alabama's rural communities. Under his leadership, Bibb Medical Center (BMC) reopened its Labor and Delivery Unit after a closure of over 16 years, becoming one of the few rural hospitals in Alabama to offer these services. Joseph also recognized the need for senior living in the region and successfully opened a new Senior Living Facility, achieving 100% occupancy. Additionally, he initiated a farmer's market on the hospital campus, providing fresh, local food to the community, particularly benefiting residents of the Senior Retirement cottages. Whether coaching softball or leading one of the state's most successful rural healthcare systems, Joseph is committed to enhancing the quality of life in Bibb County.

How do you and/or your organization make a difference in rural health?

In a rural West Alabama community devoid of a YMCA or a Boys and Girls Club, we needed to bring opportunities to children in the community and provide a facility that encourages health and wellness for adults and seniors. In 2022, the BMC Wellness Center, a 28,000 sq. ft fitness and recreational facility, opened its doors and has made a significant impact in the community. From senior citizens regaining their mobility in water aerobics to the new recreational programs introduced to local youth, the Wellness Center has enhanced the quality of life for all generations in the community.

Describe a time when you or your organization implemented an innovative approach or program to address a challenge within your rural community.

In rural Alabama, accessing healthcare can be challenging for many residents. Although healthcare services are available, transportation often poses a significant barrier, especially for the elderly population. We envisioned eliminating these transportation barriers by providing primary care directly in patients' homes. BMC at Home was established and now offers primary care services to 300 patients within a 30-mile radius.

Share an example of a successful collaboration or partnership your organization has been part of and how it benefited the community.

There is a significant and ongoing need for healthcare workers across the state, specifically nurses. In 2022, Bibb Medical Center partnered with Shelton State Community College to offer convenient educational opportunities for rural students interested in pursuing a nursing career. This pathway helps eliminate both travel and financial barriers. Since its inception, two cohorts of students have graduated and entered the workforce throughout West Alabama.

What inspired you to pursue a career in rural health?

I believe everyone wants to make a meaningful impact in what they do. Often, there is more opportunity in rural areas to become an integral part of the community.

2023 Community Star

William "Bill" Coleman, MD, PhD (late)
Director, Office for Family Health Education & Research
UAB Heersink School of Medicine, Huntsville Regional Medical Campus
Huntsville, Alabama

Organization/project websites:

• Alabama Office of Healthcare Workforce
• Heersink School of Medicine - Rural Medicine Program

What was Dr. Coleman's role within his organization and the nature of his work in rural health?
Dr. Coleman was born and raised in a rural Alabama community (Jemison, pop. 1,000 at the time) and practiced family medicine in the Scottsboro, Alabama community (population 15,000). He lived for 83 years and never called anyplace but Alabama home. He became highly educated, with an MD and PhD; traveled the world pursuing his anatomy PhD research; became national president of the American Academy of Family Physicians; and served on advisory committees for the White House and Harvard University. But what Dr. Coleman was most personally proud of was when a medical school dean pronounced Dr. Coleman as a true "servant leader." To Dr. Coleman, that meant his first and foremost desire as a physician was to serve his patients and his community. In a rural community, he recognized that it was the nature of his profession to support the community in any way he could, just as he relied on the community to support him as the village that helped raise his children and supported his family.

Dr. Coleman established the Office for Family Health Education & Research (OFHER) at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. The office supports rural medicine efforts with two main projects:

• The Physician Workforce initiative assesses community-by-community need for primary care physicians in rural Alabama. These assessments have recently expanded to nurse practitioners, dentists and psychiatrists. This work made Alabama the first state to completely map Rational Service Areas (RSA) as defined by HRSA.
• The Rural Medicine Program (RMP) admits medical students from rural Alabama with a unique curriculum to educate them on rural healthcare needs and reinforce the role of primary care physicians in rural communities. To date, about 42% of the RMP graduates have become rural Alabama physicians compared to a nationwide average of about 10% of physicians practicing rural medicine. Of the RMP graduates who practice in Alabama, 63% teach rural medical students in their clinics.

Describe a specific project and its successful outcomes or a time when collaboration or innovation was crucial.;

A successful and collaborative project OFHER performs annually is the administration of the Alabama Rural Medical Service Award (ARMSA) in conjunction with the Alabama Department of Public Health's Office of Primary Care and Rural Health. ARMSA exists to place primary care physicians and family medicine nurse practitioners in medically underserved areas of the state through financial incentives in the form of service loans. This project and collaboration were successful, as fourteen physicians and nurse practitioners were awarded $640,000 to practice in medically underserved areas in FY 2023.

Describe challenges the organization encountered and how they were overcome.

A primary challenge in the early years was sustained funding. Dr. Coleman specifically overcame this challenge through proactive and relentless efforts to educate local and state officials across Alabama on the importance of expanded advocacy and pro-rural health policies justified through office data. Dr. Coleman did an excellent job of establishing the novel concept of capturing primary care access via the primary care service area (PCSA) model and explaining its purpose and intrinsic worth for placing physicians in rural Alabama. Due to these extensive efforts over many years, OFHER is fully funded through the Alabama Educational Trust Fund.

Past Community Stars:

• 2022 Community Star
• 2021 Community Star
• 2020 Community Star

Please visit PowerofRural.org to see how you can celebrate Alabama's rural communities and take the Power of Rural pledge.