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Vilsak to host rural health care conference call.

United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today will host a national conference call today to talk about disparities in rural healthcare.

I'd sure be interested in having a local discussion on the topic. I'd love to hear from rural readers about how their families or providers deal with this subject. Feel free to contact me or share your thoughts on this blog. I think a story is probably in order.

Here are the details about Vilsak's phone call, according to a USDA news release:

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsak today will host a national conference call to discuss disparities in rural healthcare and the need for reform to help those who live in rural America.

Vilsack will also announce $30 million in Recovery Act community facility investments that are being funded, many of which will help communities enhance their healthcare infrastructure.

In rural America and communities across the country, the high costs or lack of insurance deters many people from seeking needed healthcare, and as a consequence, many illnesses go undiagnosed and long-term costs increase.

Almost one in four Americans living in towns with less than 2,500 people has no health insurance coverage.

States benefiting from Vilsack's Recovery Act announcement today include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.

More information about USDA's Recovery Act efforts is available at www.usda.gov/recovery. More information about the Federal government's efforts on the Recovery Act is available at www.recovery.gov.

WHEN: Wednesday, October 13, 2009 at 11:30 EDT

DETAILS: Audio Bridge Number: 800-857-5233

PASSCODE: USDA (Given verbally)

Trouble number - 202-720-8560