TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama will host the third annual Rural Health Conference on April 25-26 at the Bryant Conference Center on the UA campus.

Titled “The Time for Action: Building Connections to Improve Rural Economies and Health,” the conference will address rural health care issues and their impact on the state of Alabama. It will bring together people from rural communities as well as leaders in health care, education, government, law enforcement, social work, churches and other areas.

Keynote speakers will be Dr. Marilyn Hughes Gaston, director of the Bureau of Primary Care and former assistant surgeon general, and Dr. Malcolm Portera, chancellor of The University of Alabama System.

Continuing Education Unit certificates are available. The registration fee, which includes conference materials, refreshment breaks, two continental breakfasts, a luncheon and evening refreshments, is $75. Registration will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 205/348-0025, 205/348-6225 or, toll-free, 877/363-2247. More information is also available at the conference web site, http://rhc.ua.edu. On-line registration is available at this site, or register by phone at 205/348-3000.

The Rural Health Conference is sponsored at UA by the College of Community Health Sciences, Capstone College of Nursing, School of Social Work, College of Continuing Studies, Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, and College of Human Environmental Sciences.

Pre-conference workshops are also available and are scheduled from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 24. Workshops will address community development, grant writing basics and community coalition building. The registration fee for each of the three pre-conference workshops is $100.