Garrett County Health Planner Receives National Recognition for Pioneering Innovation

In recognition of National Rural Health Day, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) announced its premier list of Community Stars including Shelley Argabrite, Garrett County’s nationally-recognized Strategic Health Planner and Public Health Innovator.

Argabrite will appear in the 2018 edition of the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health’s annual Community Stars publication, which highlights the leading experts implementing strategies in communities across the nation in strides to improve rural health and transform systems through innovation and collaboration. The 2018 Community Stars publication will be available online at PowerofRural.org beginning on November 15, 2018.

“Incredible support from our county commissioners, previous and current internal leadership, staff, and the solution-focused community members in Garrett County continue to showcase the collective efforts of a community that cares and understands we can do more together,” said Argabrite. “Each of these committed individuals are the true community stars – people who advance this work further every day because health equity matters!”

This recognition marks a banner year for the Garrett County Health Department’s Population Health, Innovation, and Informatics Unit, having also received numerous additional awards and recognition from a variety of state and nationally-organized entities.
National Rural Health Day is led by NOSORH on the third Thursday of November every year as a day of recognition for those who serve the vital health needs of nearly 60 million people residing in America’s rural communities, estimated to be 1 in 5 Americans. NOSORH is the member organization serving all 50 State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) including the Maryland Department of Health’s State Office of Rural Health.

State Offices of Rural Health provide support to rural hospitals, clinics, public health agencies, and first responders in several ways including technical assistance, funding that supports workforce development, population health management, quality improvement initiatives, and more.

To learn more about Argabrite’s work, visit MyGarrettCounty.com and explore the digital community planning collaborative that has been nationally recognized as a 2018 Promising Practice by the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

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