Webinar: Are some Rural Areas of the US seeing a Drop in Life Expectancy and Increased Mortality? —– RUPRI National Policy Programs Director, Jocelyn Richgels will be presenting

January 28, 2016

The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services will host a Webinar on January 28, 2016 at 2:00 pm ET on its recent Policy Brief Mortality and Life Expectancy in Rural America.

Webinar Panelists:The Honorable Ronnie Musgrove, Chair of the NACRHHSWayne Myers, MDCurt Mueller, PhDAlana Knudson, PhDJocelyn B. Richgels

Recent articles in the media have claimed there was declining Life Expectancy in many non-metro counties in the United States. The Committee met in the Appalachian area in Eastern Kentucky to determine if Life Expectancy is on the decline in parts of the USA and, if so, to try to determine why this is happening and to offer recommendations to Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) on the problem.

Both published and new data provided to the Committee by Dr. Gopal Singh of the Health Resources and Services Administration clearly showed that there has been a decline in Life Expectancy in parts of the rural USA. The Committee heard from researchers, state officials and people who live in areas affected by increased mortality which is driving the decline in Life Expectancy.

The webinar, hosted by Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, Chair of the Committee, will present information on what the Committee found on Mortality and Life Expectancy, as well as the impact this is having on people’s lives and the recommendations the Committee offered the Secretary of HHS