Ind Rural Health Association commits to magnifying voice of rural healthcare
TERRE HAUTE – “This is a critical time for health care, and we are pleased to now be working with the law firm of Krieg DeVault to help magnify the rural healthcare voice of Indiana and ramp up our already-established advocacy efforts,” said Cara Veale, CEO of the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA), in announcing a new relationship with the Indianapolis-based national law firm.
“Over the past decade, more than 120 rural hospitals across America have tragically closed their doors, often because of continued severe regulatory and financial challenges,” said Veale. “Every Indiana rural hospital faces these challenges every day, and IRHA works tirelessly to help hospitals and clinics in rural areas stay strong and solvent – we look forward to tapping Krieg DeVault’s deep healthcare bench strength in achieving this.”
In addition to the serving on the Governor’s Public Health Commission with other Indiana health care leaders, Veale leads IRHA’s advocacy efforts to inform key community influencers and elected officials about the challenges facing rural Hoosier health care providers and practitioners. Attorneys and health care professionals from Krieg DeVault will now help support and expand those advocacy activities, magnifying the rural health care voice of Indiana.
“We have built what is recognized as one of the most sophisticated teams devoted to health care in the country and have been instrumental in the development of public policies that benefit the health care sector,” said Thomas Hutchinson, a partner with Krieg DeVault who leads the firm’s health care practice. “Given our focus on health policy in both the health care and governmental affairs practice groups, Krieg DeVault maintains relationships with key policy makers and advocacy groups as well as staying abreast of policy changes at the state and federal levels, which will provide IRHA with timely information.”
“We look forward to engaging our deep policy and advocacy expertise in a variety of critical areas to benefit IRHA members, including our proven experience in telehealth, maternal health, substance use and mental health disorders, as well as our experience in Medicaid and its programs,” added Amy Levander, Executive Director of Governmental Affairs at Krieg DeVault. Levander leads the firm’s governmental affair and advocacy practice and will work directly with IRHA in its advocacy activities.
Veale noted that a variety of pressing issues already impact Indiana rural hospitals, practices, providers and medical professionals. These include issues associated with the unwinding of public health emergency rules, health care workforce-related issues at every level, telehealth rules modernization, the capacity of rural health care operations to attract and retain key professionals, and several more. Krieg DeVault will now aid IRHA in addressing these issues.
Providing and sustaining health care operations in rural areas is “substantially different” from health care operations in urban areas, according to Veale. “Helping elected officials and community leaders both positively understand those issues and bringing them together to help build solutions represents a primary IRHA focus,” the CEO said.
In addition to engaging with IRHA as its advocacy partner, Krieg DeVault also formally joined the IRHA Business Partner Network as a major supporter. “Rural health care in Indiana serves upwards of a million Hoosiers,” explained Hutchinson. “It’s important for Krieg DeVault to openly support IRHA in helping to sustain quality and accessible health care across Indiana.”
Both the formal engagement of Krieg DeVault with IRHA and the support of the IRHA Business Partner Network became fully active in May 2022.
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About the Indiana Rural Health Association
Today celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) was organized in 1997 and is a nonprofit organization working to enhance the health and well-being of rural populations in Indiana through leadership, education, advocacy, collaboration, and resource development. The strength of the organization is through the present diverse membership and the founding organizers who are committed to impacting the health of citizens through the identification of rural health issues and through advocacy roles in both the public and private sectors. IRHA membership is made up of 3,300 diverse individuals and organizations, making it the largest state rural health association in the nation, and a nationally recognized leader in rural health care. For more information, visit www.indianaruralhealth.org
About Krieg DeVault
For clients throughout the Midwest and across the country, Krieg DeVault provides clear, practical legal advice that takes in the big picture without losing sight of the details. Krieg DeVault offers one of the most sophisticated groups devoted to health care in the country and serves a full range of health care providers and provider organizations. Our lawyers have a deep understanding of providers’ businesses and regulatory needs – often from their own experience as hospital administrators and directors, industry association leaders, government advisors, and health care practitioners – and have been instrumental in the development of public policies that benefit the health care sector. For more information, please visit https://www.kriegdevault.com/
For more information, please contact Michael Snyder at MEK 317-805-4870