Pat Schou among NRHA’s 2021 Rural Health Award recipients

The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is proud to announce the association's 2021 Rural Health Award recipients. NRHA's Rural Health Awards are given each year to individuals and organizations in the field of rural health who have dedicated their time and talents to improving the health and well-being of others.

"We're extremely proud of this year's winners, particularly because of the extra challenges rural healthcare providers have faced since the COVID-19 pandemic began," says NRHA CEO Alan Morgan. "They have each made tremendous strides to advance rural healthcare, and we're confident they will continue to help improve the lives of rural Americans."

Pat Schou was named as NRHA's "Volunteer of the Year." In addition to her role as ICAHN's executive director, she is a longtime NRHA member and advocate, as well as past president of the association. She helped guide and represent NRHA during one of the most trying times in our nation's history, during the COVID-19 pandemic, always making sure rural America's voice was heard on a national stage. She is a role model for how to lead in the worst of time in the most honorable way, said Morgan.

Also honored were:

• Coalfield Health Care as Outstanding Rural Health Organization (West Virginia)
• Northeast Kentucky Substance Use Response Coalition as Outstanding Rural Health Program (Kentucky)
• Alison Hughes, Louis Gorin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rural Health Care (Arizona)
• Jennifer Bacani McKenney, MD, Rural Health Practitioner of the Year (Kansas)
• Alana Knudson, Ph.D., Outstanding Researcher Award
• Douglas Snow, Student Leadership Award (Michigan)
• Kelly Dougherty, Student Achievement Award (Missouri)
• National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, President's Award

NRHA is a non-profit organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and providing leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education, and research. NRHA membership consists of more than 21,000 individuals and organizations. To learn more about NRHA, visit ruralhealthweb.org.