November 16, 2023

Senate Passes Manchin Resolution Designating November 16, 2023 as National Rural Health Day

Washington, DC – Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed U.S. Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) bipartisan resolution designating November 16, 2023 as National Rural Health Day. The resolution expresses a continued commitment to advancing policies that improve healthcare access and affordability for rural communities across West Virginia and the United States.

“In West Virginia, as well as rural communities across the country, we must continue working together to ensure quality healthcare services,” said Senator Manchin. “I’m proud the Senate unanimously passed our bipartisan resolution to designate today as National Rural Health Day to thank our healthcare professionals for their tireless dedication and express our commitment to prioritizing access affordable health services in rural America. I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to bolster rural healthcare services across West Virginia and the country.”

Senator Manchin was joined by Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Tina Smith (D-MN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Jim Risch (R-ID), John Thune (R-SD), Tim Scott (R-SC), James Lankford (R-OK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Jon Tester (D-MT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Martin Henrich (D-NM).

This past May, Senator Manchin reintroduced the Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, which would ensure rural and underserved community healthcare providers can permanently offer telehealth services, including audio-only telehealth appointments. In October 2022, Senator Manchin urged Dr. Spiro Stefanou, Administrator of the Economic Research Service (ERS), to fulfill congressionally directed research to better classify rural areas in West Virginia and the United States.

The full text of the resolution is available here.