Working With the SORH in Texas:
Adventures in Pardnering
NOSORH Regional Meeting – May 20, 2015
Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals
Some Background on TORCH

Founded in 1990 – This is our 25th Anniversary!

501(c)(6) trade association for rural and community hospitals of
150 beds or less

148 member hospitals (79 of which are CAHs)

345 total members (hospital, corporate, affiliate, ect.)

The largest state ‘rural’ hospital organization in the U.S.

TORCH is a full-service association dedicated exclusively the
unique needs and issues of rural and community hospitals. “Big
enough to help. Small enough to care.”

In short, we are a community of rural health professionals
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Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals
Our Mission and Vision

Vision – Rural Texas has access to the highest quality health
care.

Mission – To be the voice and principal advocate for rural and
community hospitals in Texas, and to provide leadership in
addressing the special needs and issues of these hospitals.

We accomplish these tasks through the support and direction of
our:
•
•
•
•
21 member volunteer Board of Directors
9 staff at the Austin Headquarters
2 remote employees (TMSI)
2 contractors (Gov’t Relations & Communications)
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Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals
Our Family of Organizations
We also manage the following organizations:
• Texas Rural Health Association
• Northwest Texas Hospital Association
• Texas Association of Rural Health Clinics
• Texas Hospital Home Health Association
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Our Programs and Services
 Advocacy – Rural health and hospital issues at the state and national
level
 Public Relations – Raise the visibility of TORCH and its members
 Communications – Raise awareness of the issues and solutions
 Research – Data and policy analysis to support rural providers
 Membership Services – High-quality programs that deliver value and
address member needs (insurance, group purchasing, HIT, et cetera)
 Education – Conferences and distance education that increases
knowledge and understanding of rural health issues and solutions
 Networking – Creating opportunities for more peer-to-peer interaction
 Other Duties As Assigned – The various and sundry initiatives and
activities that are derived from member requests and suggestions
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We have a long history of collaborative activities
A few examples:
 Development and coordination of the CAH/Flex
Program
 Establishment and onsite facilitation of HealthFind
 Creation of the Capital Improvement Loan Fund
 Support During Agency Sunset Review Processes
 Advocacy for further funding/administrative
simplification
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We have many ongoing collaborative activities too
A few examples:
 Needs Synthesis Grant and workplan development
 Financial and Operational Improvement Grant
activities to support Texas CAHs
 Leadership training and staff development
activities
 Annual CAH Conference and monthly member
calls
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What the future holds for this and other partnerships
A few examples:
 Work to address regional challenges and hospital
closures
 An emerging focus on population health-related
activities
 Assistance with and participation in regular site
visits, listening sessions and stakeholder meetings
 Development of a statewide rural health plan with
well-coordinated policy development activities
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What are the factors that contributed to our success
A few examples:
 The significant overlap in our constituencies, staff
and leadership
 Our shared mission and exclusive focus on ‘rural’
 The trust and respect that has been developed
through years of mutual collaboration
 A belief that coordinating our activities reduces
confusion and preserves valuable resources
 The rising tide lifts all boats, so put members first
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How can you foster similar partnerships back home
A few examples:
 Look for those organizations that share a common
purpose or a unifying goal
 Put collaboration way out ahead of competition
 Share knowledge, intelligence and ideas freely
 Network together and build trusted relationships
 Join forces and always fight for the same side
 Small collaborations, often lead to larger ones
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It was a pleasure to speak to you!
Remember:
“Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much”
- Helen Keller
Quang Ngo - quang@torchnet.org
and
David Pearson - dpearson@torchnet.org
512-873-0045
www.facebook.com/torchnet
www.twitter.com/torchnet
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