American Heart Association Extends Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator Through 2028 to Address Health Disparities
The American Heart Association has extended its Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator program through 2028, providing no-cost enrollment and resources to rural hospitals to combat the significant health disparities that leave rural Americans at 30% higher stroke risk and 40% greater heart disease likelihood.
The American Heart Association has announced a three-year funding extension of its Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator through June 2028, continuing its commitment to addressing the stark health disparities between rural and urban communities. Research shows rural Americans face a 30% higher risk of stroke, are 40% more likely to develop heart disease, and live an average of three years fewer than their urban counterparts according to studies referenced by the Association including their 2020 call to action on rural health inequities.
The extension will provide limited three-year no-cost enrollment opportunities for new rural organizations participating in Get With The Guidelines programs for coronary artery disease, heart failure, and stroke. Federally designated Critical Access Hospitals will receive complimentary access to all five Get With The Guidelines programs, including those for atrial fibrillation and resuscitation. All rural program participants will gain access to the peer-to-peer American Heart Association Rural Community Network, dedicated quality program consultants, quarterly learning collaboratives, and educational resources specifically tailored for rural hospital clinicians.
Since its 2022 launch, the Accelerator has significantly expanded rural hospital participation in Get With The Guidelines, the Association's evidence-based approach to improving patient outcomes through consistent adherence to research-driven guidelines. To date, 430 rural hospitals have enrolled in the Accelerator at no cost, bringing the total to more than 1,000 rural hospitals engaged in over 1,500 Get With The Guidelines programs nationwide. In 2025 alone, more than 650 rural hospitals earned recognition awards through the program, representing a nearly 30% increase over the previous year.
Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer for prevention at the American Heart Association, emphasized that "rural hospitals are vital points of access to health care for over 60 million people living in rural communities across the country. This extension underscores the American Heart Association's continued commitment to enhancing cardiovascular and stroke care for rural clinicians with collaboration opportunities, resources, education and data-driven strategies that improve outcomes and save lives."
Program highlights include dedicated quality program consultants to support data completeness and validation, continued learning collaboratives tailored for rural clinicians, enhancements to the Rural Get With The Guidelines registry, and the launch of the Rural Accelerator Quality Improvement Challenge Scholarship offering competitive awards for hospitals sharing model practices. The Association's research, including findings published in Circulation journal, continues to drive these initiatives aimed at closing the rural-urban health gap.