Tim Baty, a fourth-year medical student at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, has been named Arkansas’ Community Star for National Rural Health Day, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) recently announced.
Baty is a native of Wynne and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Central Arkansas. Having grown up in the small east Arkansas town of Widener - which boasts a population of 300 residents whose median household income is $20,833 - Baty witnessed the devastation that lack of access to care due to financial hardship causes. He recalls watching members of his community suffer and lose their lives - including his father, who died at age 53 from colon cancer - because of their lack of access to healthcare or insurance. Those experiences have given him the passion for pursuing a career in primary care to serve those living in rural Arkansas.
“It’s very humbling to be recognized, and I appreciate the Arkansas Office of Rural Health and Primary Care for nominating me,” Baty said. “I grew up an underserved, rural town and I want to return to serve that community. My goal is to make sure that unlike my experience, other families don't lose their loved ones too soon.”
According to NOSORH, Baty is the first medical student to be named a Community Star since the program’s inception in 2015.
On the third Thursday of November every year, NOSORH, the member organization for each of the 50 State Offices of Rural Health (SORH), leads National Rural Health Day (NRHD), an annual day of recognition that shines a light on those who serve the vital health needs of the estimated 57 million people living in rural America.
SORHs, including the Arkansas Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, provide support to rural hospitals, clinics, and first responders in several ways including technical assistance, funding that supports workforce development, population health management, quality improvement initiatives, and more.
Beginning in 2015, NOSORH invited its members to nominate hospital and emergency first responder teams, community health, and volunteer service heroes on the front lines of rural health who were making a positive impact on rural lives to be recognized at Community Stars. All 50 states are represented in the Community Stars program.