Dr. Mary Wakefield, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, will attend and deliver the keynote address at the Rural Health Conference in Prescott, Ariz.

Dr. Mary Wakefield, HRSA Administrator

The Center for Rural Health at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, will hold the 40th Annual Arizona Rural Health Conference Aug 20-21 at the Prescott Resort & Conference Center, in Prescott.

Dr. Mary Wakefield, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will deliver the Andrew W. Nichols Rural and Border Health Policy Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, August 21 at 8:00 a.m. Dr. Wakefield will discuss the Federally Facilitated Health Insurance Marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act.

“We are delighted and honored to have Dr. Wakefield join our annual meeting,” said Dr. Dan Derksen, the Walter H. Pearce Endowed Chair and newly appointed director of the Center for Rural Health at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health. “Between Medicaid restoration and expansion, and the implementation of the Marketplaces in Arizona, the state could see more than half of its uninsured covered by ACA provisions by 2015.”

The Rural Health Conference attracts a statewide audience of health care providers, academic, county and community health professionals, administrators, policy makers, and state and local leaders. As the conference celebrates the milestone of its 40th anniversary, the focus will be on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Arizona.

For registration information, the agenda and directions to the conference, please visit the Center for Rural Health website or contact Rebecca Ruiz at raruiz@email.arizona.edu, 520.626.2243.

The Center for Rural Health at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health was named 2013 Outstanding Rural Health Organization in the U.S. by the National Rural Health Association. Home to the Arizona State Office of Rural Health, the CRH partners with other state agencies and organizations to improve the health and wellness of rural underserved populations through service, research and education.