Leaders in health transformation.
About The Rural
Collaborative

Honest sharing is the heartbeat of the Rural Collaborative. Our members subscribe to the belief that together we will survive, individually we will not. At the Collaborative, members actively support one another, sharing ideas and working collectively to achieve excellence in rural healthcare for their communities. Collaborative staff support members in this common goal.
The Collaborative was formed in 2003 by eight rural public hospital districts in Washington State and and has since grown to 24 members. As we continue to build TRC, interdependence among members will remain the key to adding value. Shared savings and reduced costs through interdependence has created significant financial advantages for our small, rural hospitals, which translates into their ability to better serve their communities.


At our 2023 Board Retreat, we committed to these strategic goals:
- Interdependence: Members regularly participate in initiatives to achieve financial savings, increased operational efficiencies, and mitigate external threats.
- Rural Payer Contracting: Establish fair and sustainable agreements between healthcare payers and rural providers, reducing administrative burdens for both parties, creating value and financial viability for members.
- Access to Care: Access to high quality patient care in each community served is enhanced for Collaborative members through common projects and shared best practices.
- Workforce: Members experience measurable improvements in recruiting and retaining their rural workforce.
Our Vision
To accelerate the advancement of rural healthcare
- Leverage the synergy and wisdom of our members;
- Harness the value that a network of rural health systems provides; and
- Improve performance of our members and the health of the communities we serve, meeting members where they are.
Our Values
- Integrity – We build trust through our honest discourse and collective work
- Synergy – We are stronger, wiser and more effective together
- Commitment – We are committed to each other and the success of our members
- Innovation – We foster change and endless improvement
Our Purpose
- To support Collaborative members to better serve their communities.
- To overcome the challenges of rural healthcare.
- To take advantage of the opportunities that a collective provides.
- To speak with one rural voice.