Rural health care: redefining access.

The population and demographics of rural America are shifting once again. As our nation's unprecedented health care reform unfolds, it is becoming clear that rural communities have unique strengths, and capitalizing on these strengths can position them well for this health care transformation. Equally important are the distinct challenges that--with careful planning, attention, and resources--can be transformed into opportunities to thrive in the new health care environment. The North Carolina Institute of Medicine's Task Force on Rural Health recently published a report that highlights the strengths and challenges of rural communities [1]. In order to fully leverage these opportunities, we must continue to acknowledge the fundamental importance of access to basic health care, while also broadening our discussion to collectively tackle the additional components necessary to create healthy, thriving rural communities. As we reexamine the needs of rural communities, we should broaden our discussions to include an expansion of the types of access that are necessary for strengthening rural health. Collaboration, successful recruitment and retention, availability of specialty services, quality care, and cost effectiveness are some of the issues that must come into discussions about access to services. With this in mind, this issue of the NCMJ explores opportunities to strengthen the health of North Carolina's rural communities.