On National Rural Health Day, We Stand with the Thousands of Rural Americans Living with Hemophilia

Today, November 20, 2025, is National Rural Health Day — a day set aside to honor the more than 66 million people who call rural America home and to recognize the unique health-care struggles they face every single day.
Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced House Resolution 891 to officially support the goals of National Rural Health Day. The resolution shines a light on some hard truths:
​

• Rural Americans often have lower life expectancy and poorer health outcomes.
• Many face long distances to care, a shortage of local specialists, unreliable transportation, and higher rates of being uninsured or underinsured.
• Since 2010, 153 rural hospitals have closed, and nearly 432 more are at risk — meaning care is getting farther away for millions of families.

For the bleeding disorders community, these challenges hit especially close to home.

Thousands of people with hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, and rare factor deficiencies live in rural counties across the United States. For them, “going to the doctor” can mean a 3-, 4-, or even 8-hour drive each way to the nearest Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) in a larger city. That’s a full day (or more) away from work, school, and family.

A simple bleed that could be treated quickly in an urban area can become a serious emergency when you’re hours from the right treatment and expertise. Add winter weather, bad roads, or the cost of gas and a hotel stay, and it’s easy to see why some families delay expert care.
​
To every member of our community raising a family, working the land, or going to school in rural America while managing a bleeding disorder — we see you, we’re proud of you, and we’re fighting alongside you.
Happy National Rural Health Day. Together, every step forward makes care more accessible, one mile at a time.