Advocate Health's unwavering commitment to rural community health care highlighted in new report

Strong foundation of creating access to high-quality care in rural areas sets the stage for future innovations.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Advocate Health's commitment to provide access to care for all is showcased in a new report detailing the health system's sweeping and deep commitment to providing high-quality and innovative health care to rural communities. 

The white paper, published this week at AdvocateHealth.org/RuralCare, provides a big-picture look at the health system's work across its rural footprint, including its 21 rural hospitals and 322 rural clinics. Entitled "Commitment to Community: Advocate Health's Role as an Innovative National Rural Health Leader," the report also highlights the stories of individual clinicians going above and beyond for their patients across its six-state footprint. 

"At Advocate Health, we believe access to nation-leading care shouldn't depend on your ZIP code or the size of your town," said Eugene A. Woods, chief executive officer of Advocate Health. "That's why we're investing more than $3 billion across our rural footprint – to expand access, improve outcomes and create jobs.

"We're combining the strength of a national health system with the heart of local care – delivered by people who live in and understand the communities they serve," Woods added. "From virtual visits that bring specialists to small towns to new facilities, expanded mental health services and training the next generation of rural health professionals, we're committed to transforming rural health and strengthening the communities we call home."

Advocate Health serves patients in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina and Wisconsin under the regional care delivery brands Advocate Health Care, Atrium Health and Aurora Health Care. Wake Forest University School of Medicine is the academic core of the health system.

Advocate Health's ongoing efforts are laying a strong foundation for more substantial commitments in the future via strategic partnerships. 

Last month, Hugh Chatham Health joined Advocate Health, deepening the system's rural health commitment. Recently announced grants from The Duke Endowment and expansion of a school-based therapy program to serve students in five more rural counties in North Carolina are also among Advocate Health's growing track record of success and support in rural health care detailed in the report.

The report also demonstrates how Advocate Health has extended clinical trials to its rural operations, expanded its nationally leading hospital at home program and is investing in the next generation of medical professionals, including the establishment of a rural residency program.

With roughly one in three rural hospitals across the country currently at risk of closure amid small patient populations and low reimbursement rates, the report also outlines several national-level policy proposals that would make continuing and improving health care in rural areas more sustainable. It comes as hospitals and health systems across the country face steep financial and operational challenges in providing care to rural communities. 

"Closure of a hospital can be devastating for a rural area, especially when it is the lone facility for many miles," said Dr. Nwando Olayiwola, president of Advocate Health's National Center for Clinical and Community Impact and a leader of the system's rural care efforts. "In small communities, a hospital can be a community institution on par with the local school, the county courthouse or a place of worship." 

Challenges for providers include recruiting and retaining the best doctors and nurses. Advocate Health is pursuing several new efforts to improve its own recruiting, and its leadership in virtual health offerings can help get patients the best care possible no matter where they live. 

"Technologies are going to advance and provide more opportunities for our expert doctors and nurses to provide excellent care in rural communities," said Dr. Matt Anderson, Advocate Health's senior vice president for clinical transformation and a leader of the system's rural health work. "Our patients come first, and it's our job to keep innovating and putting those new tools to the best possible use for them." 

Find the full report at AdvocateHealth.org/RuralCare. 

SOURCE ATRIUM HEALTH