American Heart Association Extends Rural Health Program to Address Critical Healthcare Disparities

The American Heart Association has announced a three-year extension of its Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator program through June 2028, reinforcing its commitment to addressing substantial health disparities between rural and urban communities. Research indicates rural Americans face a 30% higher risk of stroke, are 40% more likely to develop heart disease, and live an average of three years fewer than their urban counterparts.

The program extension will provide limited three-year no-cost enrollment opportunities for new rural organizations participating in the Get With The Guidelines programs for coronary artery disease, heart failure, and stroke. Critical Access Hospitals will receive complimentary access to all five Get With The Guidelines programs, including atrial fibrillation and resuscitation. All rural program participants will gain access to the peer-to-peer American Heart Association Rural Community Network, dedicated quality program consultants, quarterly learning collaboratives, and educational resources specifically tailored to rural hospital clinicians.

Since its 2022 launch, the Accelerator has dramatically expanded rural hospital participation, with 430 hospitals enrolling at no cost and more than 1,000 rural hospitals now engaged in over 1,500 Get With The Guidelines programs nationwide. In 2025 alone, more than 650 rural hospitals earned recognition awards through the program, representing a nearly 30% increase over the previous year. The program extension includes enhancements to the Rural Get With The Guidelines registry and reporting to ensure alignment with current science and relevance for rural healthcare settings.

Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer for prevention at the American Heart Association, emphasized that rural hospitals serve as vital access points for over 60 million people living in rural communities. The extension underscores the organization's commitment to enhancing cardiovascular and stroke care through collaboration opportunities, resources, education, and data-driven strategies that improve outcomes and save lives. Additional program highlights include the launch of the Rural Accelerator Quality Improvement Challenge Scholarship, offering competitive awards to support hospitals sharing model practices at national conferences. For more information, visit https://heart.org/ruralaccelerator.