Regional leaders of rural health services gathered on Nov. 15 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Bay Rivers Telehealth Alliance and to celebrate National Rural Health Day.

BRTA is a nonprofit telehealth network based in Tappahannock, serving rural Eastern Virginia communities including the Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula and the Eastern Shore. BRTA’s mission is to improve access to health services, engage patients as partners, reduce professional isolation among health care providers, and enhance the health care workforce through telehealth initiatives.

At the event, Elizabeth Martin, MHA, President of VCU Tappahannock and BRTA chair for the last 20 years, was awarded the inaugural Rural Health Champion Award.

Donna Dittman Hale, MHA, CTC, Executive Director of BRTA, was also recognized. Under her leadership, BRTA has been awarded 16 grants and received over $15 million in funding. This money allowed its partners to provide school-based treatment, opioid prevention tr...