Legislator awarded for attention to rural health
State Sen. Elder Vogel, R-47th, has been named Rural Health Legislator of the Year by the state Office of Rural Health.
The designation recognizes state legislators for outstanding work and support of rural health initiatives that address an identified need in their district or across the state.
Vogel was nominated for the award by Russell Redding, state secretary of agriculture, for the senator’s work recognizing and addressing the mental health needs of the state’s agricultural community, as well as his advocacy for telemedicine for agricultural and rural communities.
“As a fourth-generation farmer and chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, I can attest to the fact that farming, by its nature, can be extremely stressful, even during the best of times,” Vogel said. “Mental health, for farmers as well as all those who live in Pennsylvania’s rural areas, remains an issue in need of more attention from both policymakers and health care providers.”
Vogel’s district includes Portersville, Zelienople and Harmony, plus Worth, Muddycreek, Lancaster and Jackson townships in Butler County, and parts of Beaver and Lawrence counties.
