Get to know NRHA President Michelle Mills

In her rural health career, Michelle Mills has always sought to make a difference. As CEO of the Colorado Rural Health Center, the nonprofit state office of rural health and rural health association, she brings decades of experience and knowledge to her work with rural communities and providers, aiming to make a positive impact on rural health care delivery. As NRHA’s 2025 president, Mills now gets the chance to take her advocacy to a national stage. NRHA recently chatted with Mills about some of her goals for this year and why she loves the people who live in small towns.
 

What is your connection to rural America?

I grew up in a rural place. When I was 12 my family moved to rural Elizabeth, Colo., a very small town with around 800 people and about 5,600 in the county. The move to a small town was a big change from the suburb of Chicago. Although I moved away for school and to live in the big city, that didn’t last long. My husband and I moved to rural Parker, Colo., where we live now – it is no longer rural, but 31 years ago it had about 6,500 people.
 

Michelle, center, with colleagues at the Colorado Rural Health Center

What inspired you to pursue a rural health career?

I started my health care career at the quality improvement organization in Colorado working with urban and rural hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and home health agencies. After 18 years an opportunity to work at the Colorado Rural Health Center presented itself, and I’ve now been there for over 15 years. As I grew up, I saw and experienced the limitations of health care availability in my rural community. The lack of access to care and the need to ensure everyone has that has inspired my career. Through my work at both the quality improvement organization and the Colorado Rural Health Center, I’ve seen firsthand the hardships of not having access to care locally. I believe health care is a right, not a privilege, and I continue to work daily to help ensure everyone in our rural communities has access to care.
 

When did you first get involved with NRHA?

It was 15 years ago when I started at the Colorado Rural Health Center. NRHA was one of the first organizations I encountered when I started working there. I have always appreciated the association’s leadership on rural health and the wealth of information and resources that are generated from the organization.

I’m always excited to attend the Rural Health Policy Institute. I love making visits on the Hill – I think it’s exciting, and I think a lot of people don’t get to experience something like that. It’s a unique opportunity to share your priorities with the people you’ve elected and have your voice be heard. During my first Hill visits in 2010, I remember posting pictures on Facebook and thinking how I’m walking the same halls as so many people who have made history – it's inspiring. It was also a bit intimidating to visit with policymakers you see on news, and over the years I’ve grown my confidence to learn that we are the experts in our rural communities. Sharing your voice through stories is one of the most important things we can do as individuals.
 

Michelle, center, with colleagues from FORHP, NRHA, and the University of Colorado

What are your goals as NRHA president this year?

One of my goals is to continue advocating for access to care for rural communities. I am very passionate about rural health clinics and would love to see dedicated funding available for them. I work for the state office of rural health and rural health association, so I would like to see continued funding for SORHs, SRHAs, and our rural communities. The Save Rural Hospitals Act needs a lot of attention. We’ve been advocating for years now to stop many cuts such as sequestration, reimbursement of bad debt, and more. The number of rural hospitals operating in the red continues to rise, and together with NRHA we are committed to raising these concerns and coming up with policy solutions to stop these closures. It is imperative to our rural communities, along with policy and advocacy to protect Medicare and Medicaid.

I’m very honored and humbled to serve as NRHA president this year. Not many people have this opportunity to have their voice heard, and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to carry that message forward and advocate for rural health.
 

What excites you about the future of rural health?

I’m excited to share more of the opportunities and innovations that happen in rural. A lot of times we get stuck on our mantra of “older, sicker, poorer,” and I would like people to recognize the innovative things that are happening and coming out of rural America. It’s important for people to know that rural is a great place for pilot projects – we’re nimble, and we can move fast and do those things.

If you really get to know the people in rural America, they all just want to do the right thing for their community, and I love that so much. I hope that a small part of what we do is enabling them to do the very best they can for their communities.
 

Big ideas in the ‘Big Peach’

Meet Michelle in Atlanta at NRHA’s 48th Annual Rural Health Conference, 10th Rural Hospital Innovation Summit, and associated events constituting the largest gathering of rural health professionals in the country May 20-23.

Save the date and register early to join NRHA, Mills, and hundreds of rural health leaders from across the country down in ATL to help raise the standard for rural health with more than 80 innovative, practical, and cost-saving sessions and much more.

Don’t forget about our groundbreaking and expanded 30th Rural Health Access Conference May 19-20 and 22nd Rural Medical Education Conference May 20 preceding the week’s events.

We look forward to covering the biggest issues facing rural health with the experts and digging into the details with you and your colleagues.