RMFU Foundation Receives Grant for Colorado Rural Health Advocacy Cooperative

Denver>>Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Educational and Charitable Foundation (RMFU) received notice of an award of $87,774 from The Colorado Health Foundation to fund development of the Colorado Rural Health Advocacy Cooperative (CoRHAC). The grant provides RMFU and four partners — Action 22, Club 20, Colorado Rural Health Center and Progressive 15 — a year of funding for efforts to create an agency which will ensure that rural communities are actively engaged in identifying health issues and exploring health care solutions for Colorado.

CoRHAC will create a forum to discuss pertinent health issues and a process for providing information and representation, using web-based technology to involve rural citizens in policy-making. Drawing upon the expertise of five champions of rural advocacy, the new cooperative will align groups who are already working on behalf of rural communities and serve as a conduit between them and Colorado’s health care decision makers.

“Rural health care is a silent crisis in America,” said Ben Rainbolt, Director of the RMFU Educational and Charitable Foundation. “Too often health care legislation is written from an urban framework, with unintended consequences for rural citizens. With support from The Colorado Health Foundation, RMFU and our partners will use this cooperative to make important advances to ensure adequate and fair health care to Colorado’s rural communities and individuals.”