HR 1013 Summary

• Proclaims April 13, 2017, as Rural Health Care Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

• Commends the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Project ECHO for its innovative health care delivery model in rural and underserved communities.

• 75 of 77 Oklahoma counties are federally designated primary care health professional shortage areas, with 58.6% of Oklahomans residing in such areas.

• Project ECHO uses hub-and-spoke knowledge-sharing networks with multi-point videoconferencing to enable rural clinicians to provide specialty care in their own communities.

• The resolution highlights that 55% of rural primary care physicians are age 55 or older, with 27% age 65 or older, creating challenges in physician recruitment and retention.