FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rural Life Committee Convenes to Discuss Healthcare: The Impact of ACA on Rural Communities
Meeting is Thursday, Jan. 16 in Pittsboro; open to the public
(PITTSBORO, NC – Jan. 15, 2014) – In its first meeting of 2014, the Rural Life Committee will convene a public information session titled Healthcare: The Impact of ACA on Rural Communities. A panel of statewide experts will provide rural community members, farmers, faith leaders and all in attendance an informative discussion. The goal of the session is for rural North Carolina faith leaders to be informed about ACA impacts on rural communities and to become equipped with the necessary resources to share within their own communities as they navigate the options provided by the Affordable Care Act.
“In the midst of the national scramble to determine how we all access healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, it’s crucial that we consider the specific impacts on populations that are often thought of last: farmers, farmworkers, and rural folks in general,” says Francesca Hyatt, RAFI’s Come to the Table Director and Rural Life Committee convener.
The meeting will be held tomorrow, Jan. 16, at the Dan Pollitt Center on RAFI’s campus at 274 Pittsboro Elementary School Rd. in Pittsboro, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch is included.
Rural health experts who will lead the discussion include Robin Tutor-Marcom of the NC Agromedicine Institute, Zoë Cummings of the NC Farmworker Health Program at DHHS and Chris Collins from the Office of Rural Health and Community Care at DHHS.
“I’m excited that we get to have this conversation at the Rural Life Committee, and am hopeful about role of the North Carolina faith community in this dialogue,” adds Hyatt.
To RSVP, please contact Hyatt at [email protected].
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About Rural Life Committee: The Rural Life Committee of the North Carolina Council of Churches convenes representatives from diverse denominations and organizations on a quarterly basis to learn about and strategize on issues affecting rural North Carolina. Meeting topics include agricultural policy, health care, hunger, disaster recovery, contract farming, sustainability, urbanization, and the survival of family farms. It is convened by the North Carolina Council of Churches and Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA, with support from Duke Endowment. For more information, visit https://www.rafiusa.org/cttt/rural-life-committee/.
About North Carolina Council of Churches: The North Carolina Council of Churches was founded in 1935. It is a statewide ecumenical organization promoting Christian unity and working towards a more just society. For more information, visit ncchurches.org.
About Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA: RAFI is a private non-profit organization that traces its heritage to the National Sharecroppers’ Fund, which was founded in the 1930′s by a group of bi-racial tenant farmers organizing for fair treatment. RAFI cultivates markets, policies and communities that support thriving, socially just and environmentally sound family farms. For more information, visit rafiusa.org.