Rural Health Coverage Update: What Partners Need to Know for 2027

Presented by Connect for Health Colorado

September 16th, 12-1pm MST

Join Connect for Health Colorado for an update on the Colorado health insurance marketplace. This session will provide the latest information on federal and state policy developments, upcoming marketplace changes, and key enrollment updates impacting rural communities. Participants will also receive an overview of current marketing and outreach strategies, available consumer resources, and opportunities to support enrollment efforts across Colorado. This presentation is designed for community partners, healthcare providers, and organizations serving rural populations.

Energy & Natural Gas Procurement for Rural Health: How Strategic Market Management Protects Budgets and Reduces Volatility

Presented by Beyond Energy

September 17th, 11-12pm MST

Rural health centers continue to face rising energy costs, unpredictable natural gas markets, and budget volatility driven by seasonal demand and supplier pricing. This session provides a practical, plain language overview of how strategic natural gas procurement and active market management can stabilize operating budgets, reduce exposure to price spikes, and create predictable year over year savings. We’ll outline how procurement programs work, what options exist in Colorado and surrounding regions, and how rural facilities can leverage competitive supply, imbalance optimization, and forward market strategies to strengthen financial performance without adding operational burden.

Coming Soon

More information to come!

Coming Soon

More information to come!

Coming Soon

More information to come!

Making Shift Happen: From Transactional to Transformative

Presented by Michelle Rathman, Impact! Communications

September 23rd, 12-1pm MST

In this engaging session, Michelle Rathman addresses the unique, often chaotic challenges of transforming health care in rural America. She emphasizes the importance of embracing the complexity of rural infrastructure, policy, culture, and economics to help rural health leaders (and their teams) reimagine their vital role in pursuing long-term systemic improvements-such as integrated care models, community-led health initiatives, and policy advocacy as a practical means to foster meaningful change.

Logging over 100,000 rural miles and drawing on over 30 years of experience with hospital boards, leadership teams, frontline staff, nonprofits, and cross-sector community influencers, she provides a clear and practical roadmap tailored to diverse rural contexts-such as geographic, economic, and cultural differences-for turning downstream challenges into strategic upstream advantages. This guidance helps audiences gear up, get equipped, and build their benches to move away from transactional, short-term fixes toward long-term, organizational, and community-wide shifts in conditions vital to rural thriving.

Michelle Rathman is the CEO of Impact! Communications, Inc. and a seasoned strategist with nearly 30 years of experience in both rural and urban health sectors. A dedicated advocate for rural health, Michelle was honored as the 2025 recipient of the National Rural Health Association President’s Award.

Having logged over 100,000 miles working as an embedded strategist and trusted leadership sounding board, Michelle specializes in:

• Operational Resilience
• Strategic Communications and Community Engagement
• Advocacy for Equitable Rural Policy and Support for Public Hospitals

Michelle’s approach is rooted in the belief that despite the turbulence of the current health care landscape, rural systems remain uniquely resilient and ready to face the unknown whenever shift happens!