National Rural Health Day: A Reflection on The Power of Rural
Community. Connection. Support. Intention. These are the values I remember from growing up in a rural area —and the same values I see in the work every day at JBS. Neighbors who show up without being asked. Coaches who double as mentors. The church bulletin quietly becomes a safety net. Those memories shape my view on health. That’s why I’m proud to be part of a company that sees the importance of meeting communities where they are and works to build solutions with them, not for them.
I also remember the hard parts. The specialist that was an hour away. The pharmacy that closed at 5 p.m. If you did shift work or did not have reliable transportation, getting needed medication could be a weeklong puzzle. Sixty-one million people in the U.S. live in rural areas, yet many communities still face long drives for care, shortages of qualified providers, and limited broadband internet. These gaps impact maternal and child health, behavioral health, chronic disease, workforce development, and the vitality of the places we call home.
At JBS, our mission is simple: to help people live healthier, safer lives. We begin by listening – sitting side by side with others and hearing every perspective, from medical staff and pastors to parents, farmers, volunteers, and youth leaders. We practice human-centered design, placing people’s needs and daily realities at the heart of every plan. We pair lived wisdom with data that helps local partners decide what to try next and how to know if it worked.
Working with State Offices of Rural Health, rural America is fueling an innovative health infrastructure and JBS is proud to be a part of the journey. Our approach shows up in tangible ways. We have provided integrated service delivery that helped grantees launch mobile clinics and expand access to care. We’ve worked to increase collaboration among community organizations so they can offer more services and deliver care more effectively. We’ve created ready-to-use toolkits to reduce stigma and promote recovery services in ways that meet communities where they are. Our work brings people together across sectors to come up with creative ideas that fill gaps in rural health care.
Most importantly, we build on the momentum that is already moving rural communities forward. Our teams bring together subject matter expertise and lived experience, combining professional training with real-world insight. This approach allows us to translate complex policy into everyday practice, and to remember that health is personal to each of us and to our communities.
On National Rural Health Day, I’m reminded that hope shows up in real ways. It looks like a mom who gets a same-day behavioral health appointment. It is a pharmacist who stays open late for a rancher driving in from the field. It feels like a comfortable conversation around a kitchen table. JBS brings stories to life with data and everyone gets a say.
Community. Connection. Support. Intention. These aren’t just memories; they’re a roadmap. When we lead with these values, we turn long drives into real access, limited resources into creative fixes, and small wins into lasting change. That’s the journey I’m grateful to be on with JBS and with the rural communities that raised me.