The University of Georgia School of Law will host the Second Annual Rural Healthcare Symposium April 21 in the Larry Walker Room of Dean Rusk Hall starting at 9 a.m. The conference is part of an annual effort to bring attention to the national rural healthcare crisis. The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is strongly advised.
 
“Rural America faces unique and difficult healthcare delivery problems that often go overlooked by policymakers and legislators who do not work or live in those areas,” Georgia Law Associate Professor and symposium organizer Fazal Khan, who holds both medical and law degrees, said. “Since Georgia has been at the center of this crisis for some time, we view our flagship university in Athens as the ideal setting to help promote awareness, learning and practical solutions to this growing challenge.”
 
Fellow symposium organizer and founder of Boling & Company Bill Boling said there is no more urgent issue facing America today than sustaining and improving access to healthcare for Americans. “With five hospital closures in the past several years, Georgia has the third most closures in the country. The Rural Healthcare Symposium is designed to bring together the brightest minds and the most engaged CEOs, thinkers, policymakers and focused government professionals in the arena. These experts will share stories of obstacles and solutions among the hospitals, clinics and caregivers who care for the 20 percent of us who live in rural areas.”
 
Key topics to be explored at this year’s daylong conference include: the opioid epidemic and addiction treatments, an overview of current rural healthcare legislation and public policy, the impact of technology on rural healthcare delivery, the economic realities facing rural providers and an inside look at the operations of rural healthcare facilities.
 
There will be a lunchtime address by Georgia Sen. Dean Burke, a physician and rural health advocate from Bainbridge. Plenary session addresses will be provided by Dr. Bruce B. Struminger, the associate director of Project Echo, an internationally renowned telehealth initiative, and James B. Langford, the executive director of the Georgia Prevention Project, a statewide drug prevention program aimed at teens and young adults. Panelists include representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Rural Health Association, the Georgia Health Policy Center, the Georgia Hospital Association, Georgia Medicaid and several regional hospitals as well as academic experts from around the country.
 
For more information and to register, please visit www.bolingandcompany.com/rhs. For attorneys, five continuing legal education credits are available for $25.