Three health professional leaders from rural hospitals in North Dakota took part in the National Rural Quality and Clinical Conference with funds provided by the North Dakota Rural Hospital Medicare Flexibility (Flex) program, administered by the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
     Shawn Smothers, CEO, Kenmare Community Hospital, Kenmare; Paula Brown, quality improvement coordinator, McKenzie County Healthcare System, Watford City; and Stacy Chadwick, quality assurance and medical staff coordinator, West River Health Services, Hettinger attended the national conference on behalf of the ND Critical Access Hospital Quality Network.
     As recipients of the scholarships for the Rural Quality and Clinical Conference, these individuals interacted with professionals from other critical access hospitals (CAHs) around the nation. Brown, Chadwick, and Smothers shared the information they learned from this conference with the other CAHs in North Dakota.